


The Bandit and the Spirit

by fanfics_she_wrote



Category: Brave (2012), Frozen (Disney Movies), How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Rise of the Guardians (2012), Tangled (2010)
Genre: ANGST WILL REIGN, Angst, F/M, Gen, I feel like I forgot some characters, Idiots in Love, Jelsa - Freeform, Oh My God, Please be gentle, The Author Regrets Nothing, There will be fluff, They are in love your honour, This is my comeback fic, and dorks in love, and others - Freeform, and some fluff, but most importantly, not my strong suit, romance however
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:14:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 27,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24108817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fanfics_she_wrote/pseuds/fanfics_she_wrote
Summary: When an icy plague sweeps the land, it falls to the seemingly sole immune bandit to seek out the Spirit of Winter and put an end to the land's most cursed winter yet.
Relationships: Anna/Kristoff (Disney), Elsa (Disney)/Jack Frost (Guardians of Childhood), Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III/Astrid Hofferson
Comments: 3
Kudos: 44





	1. Chapter 1

_**S I X Y E A R S A G O** _

"Elsa, are you _sure_ you don't want the safety net?" 

Elsa, the woman currently being fitted with heavy winter gear, shook her head vehemently. "We're low on players today. I can do this. I've walked tightropes higher, you know that."

"Yeah, indoors. Not out in a snowstorm."

Elsa peered through the windows. "A little snow never hurt anyone, Anna," she murmured, though the fierce storms outside worried her. "You don't need to be so afraid for me."

"It's practically my job," Anna muttered to herself, glancing down. "I am your sister."

And she was right. Though they did not look at all similar upon first glance, anyone who looked long enough would see the similarities between the girls, from their bright blue eyes to their little button noses. Once their shared features were noticed, it was easy to ignore how deathly pale both Elsa and her hair looked when stood right next to the younger, colourful, carrot-topped Anna. 

"I'll be fine," Elsa said again, a gentle hand on her sister's cheek. "Winter raids are my thing. You know that. Chief always lets me handle them. This one is no different than the rest. We can't afford to take three members out to handle the nets. It's all hands on deck if I'm to make an escape at all. You worry about your part and I'll worry about mine. I'll see you after, okay?"

Reluctantly, Anna nodded. She loathed how Elsa always tried to handle everything, but she could not deny the pride she felt every time Elsa returned with a new trophy, be it jewels to sell or their next meal. She loved her sister dearly, and lose her would devastate Anna completely -- not to mention, the rest of them.

It was three hours later that Elsa found herself crossing a wire in the middle of a snowstorm. Her grooved shoes caught firmly on the wire. Had she been out on a calmer day, she might have done the wire barefoot. Regardless, she was out here in the biting winds, her life quite literally on the line. But she wasn't bothered. 

Elsa loved the winter months. She felt at home during them, watching snowflakes paint the lands. She would often go out, relishing in the feeling of the winds on her skin. She would only head back indoors when the wind turned biting. 

Still now, in the cold winds that could easily bring about her doom, Elsa felt at home. She always said she would take a winter raid because she blended in well with the snow. She wasn't wrong, but that was never her real reasons. Anna knew it was because Elsa wanted to revel in the cold. There was no surprise there; Anna knew nearly everything about her older sister. 

Elsa crossed the wire and paused on the ledge. She held her trophy close and waited for the signal that it was safe to make her descent. She felt as though she'd waited hours. Normally, she didn't have a problem with the waiting. It served as a moment to catch her breath, to relax the muscles she'd held taught all along. In fact, whenever she walked the wire to escape, Elsa would revel in the peace she got. High in the sky, overlooking whatever rich man's home they'd chosen or watching the city's nightlife as no one paid her any attention. It was a rare moment of serenity, to be up in the clouds, surrounded by nothing but the cool air. 

Tonight, though, something felt off. They were taking too long. She should've seen the flash of light by now. Every fibre of her being wanted to head down and see what was keeping them, but she knew the rules. She had the goods. If she got caught, it was all for nothing. Whoever had the goods was forbidden to move out without receiving the signal. 

Still, it didn't stop her from walking to the zipline and waiting. She'd started bouncing on her feet. She told herself it was because she'd been out in the cold too long, but she knew it was because her nerves were on edge. She was nervous, afraid. She always was when they ran behind schedule. 

Just as she was contemplating whether or not to throw the rules to the wind, she saw it. Three quick flashes. The mirror reflecting the early dawn. She didn't waste a second longer. 

The moment she dropped her feet to the iced lake, her heart dropped. 

"Anna!" 

She saw her sister first. Her sister who had somehow managed to crawl back to her own post to flash the light at Elsa, despite the deep gash in her leg. 

Screw the goods. 

Elsa ripped off the scarf they'd given her to cover her face and wound it around Anna's thigh. "Anna, what happened?" 

"Ambush. They knew we were coming."

Elsa stilled for a moment. The zipline. She glanced around and found a bloodied axe a few steps away. Trying not to think about who the axe belonged to, she hefted it up and swung it at the zipline tethered to the tree. The line whipped away, narrowing missing Elsa. In the distance, she heard faint screaming. 

"Anna, where's Chief?" she asked, laying the axe down. "His axe is here, where is he?" 

"He went after 'em. Gobber went with him."

"Without his axe?" 

Anna shrugged.

"Hey, look at me. Don't sleep, now. Pay attention, Anna, I need you to tell me which way they went."

Anna opened her eyes just a bit, glancing around. "Through those trees over there. Elsa. . ."

Elsa could feel her heart slowly tearing in two. Who did she go after? 

"Be careful."

Of course. Anna knew her better than anyone. "I should stay with you--"

"You won't. I'll be fine. I won't sleep. I promise."

Elsa hesitated. 

"Chief needs you more than I do."

Elsa grabbed the axe and stood up. "If anything at all happens, scream. Keep your mask on, just in case."

Anna nodded, adjusting herself against the tree Elsa had propped her up on. "What about you? Your scarf. . ."

"I'll be fine," Elsa said, balancing the axe over her shoulder. "Stay here."

Walking through the trees had never bothered her before. The darkness around her offered just as much comfort as the clouds did. But just like the clouds, the trees hacked at her nerves today. They should have left by now. They should have been safe, counting their loot. What had gone wrong? As she walked on footsteps lighter than snowfall, she thought about who had been involved in planning the day's raid. Only those involved in the raid had been told the specifics of the plan. There were seven of them, Elsa included, and she didn't think any of them would betray her or anyone else. 

No. Pitch might've. Elsa had never liked him, but he brought value to the table and he earned his keep. She always thought he was sketchy, up to something nasty, but he'd never caused any harm -- that she could prove. Until today, she thought, if it had been him who had sold them out.

She froze at the sound of a pained groan. Following it and soft shuffling, she eventually broke into a clearing. Two bodies lay on the ground. Pitch was slowly getting up. Before he had moved another inch, Elsa had him pinned down with the axe. "Don't make me use this. What happened here?"

"It was an ambush. Things like this happen. Someone had to have spilled." He raised his eyebrows pointedly at the glaringly obvious fact.

"Are you accusing me?"

"Like for like, dear Elsa."

Elsa conceded but didn't lift the axe. "What happened at the lake? You were supposed to watch Anna. I knew I shouldn't have trusted you with her."

"I didn't intend for this, Elsa, you must believe me. She was hurt but your precious Chief was dying."

Elsa refused to take her gaze off Pitch. "What happened to Hiccup? And Gobber?"

"Gone."

"Where?"

"Drowned in the lake."

"I didn't see any cracks in the ice," Elsa said, even though she knew she hadn't stopped to check before leaving Anna at the edge.

"Of course. Can't you see how cold it is? The lake froze over again. The spirit--"

"Don't be stupid, Black. You know I don't believe in your whimsical fairy tales. There is no Winter Spirit."

Pitch chuckled. "Oh, well don't let the spirit hear that, lest you enrage it."

Elsa pressed down with the axe. "Stoick."

"See for yourself."

Elsa held his gaze for a moment before turning to the two bodies for the first time since she'd broken into the clearing. She left Pitch to get the axe off himself. She knelt first at the woman. Holding her breath, listening for the sound of breathing, letting out a relieved sigh when she did. "Valka."

Valka, the woman, made a soft sound of protest. She was alive and, relatively speaking, uninjured. 

Elsa's walk to the second, Stoick, was slow and with anxiety laced into her boots with every step. She knelt slowly. She knew he was gone long before she held a shivering finger under his nose. 

"What good were you abandoning your post when you couldn't even save him?" she asked softly.

"Valka--"

"Would have wanted you to save Stoick. We all would." 

Pitch did not respond. He set the axe down beside Elsa. "For what it's worth, dear Elsa, I am sorry."

"Don't touch me," she said firmly, sensing his hand above her shoulder. "Gather the rest. We send out his boat as soon as Valka wakes."

Pitch inhaled sharply, but he said nothing.

* * *

Elsa held the arrow to the flames and watched as it caught fire. She gave the boat a glance before handing the arrow to a recovering Valka. Though she watched as Valka drew back the arrow and let it fly, she turned her gaze away as the arrow found its mark. Several more arrows flew over their heads, lighting the boat.

She felt someone take hold of her hand and glanced to her side. "I miss them."

"I know," Elsa said, using her other hand to brush Anna's fringe to the side. "I know."

Anna buried her tears in Elsa's sleeve. "What do we do now?"

Elsa lifted her head and watched the flames burn higher. "We go on," she said, her voice colder and harder than the ice she'd lost her brother to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YO WHAT IS _UP_ MY DUDES
> 
> yes, yes, I am aware of everything else up supposed to be updating but this was just calling out to me and had a vice-like grip on my brain and hands. I had no say in the matter. Please enjoy my peace offering. 
> 
> It has been around five or six years since I last wrote for this fandom. I'm surprised I still remember how to spell Arendelle. 
> 
> Anyway, as always, love to hear from you about your thoughts and theories, so hit me with 'em as we go through this book.
> 
> I shall see you all again in the next chapter, ciao!


	2. Chapter 2

_**T H R E E Y E A R S A G O** _

"Oh, would you look who it is! Arendellians!"

Anna faked a belch that pulled a small smile out of Elsa. "He's just an attention seeker, Anna."

"He's _Hans_!" Anna hissed back.

The two of them watched Hans, an obnoxious, entitled prince, parade the room, smiling broadly -- everyone saw through it, though.

"Let him be. He's not in _our_ way."

"He will be if Pitch doesn't man the hell up and get rid of him," Anna huffed, folding her arms. 

Elsa rubbed Anna's shoulder in comfort before turning around to the table behind her. "Leave him. Look at this. Pitch wants to strike the Overland manor again."

"Overland?" Anna asked, turning away from the spectacle that was Hans Westergard. She looked at the map Elsa was hunched over. "Isn't that the family with the really hot heir?"

"And how would I know that, Anna? Pitch won't even let me out on surveillance. He distrusts me as much as I distrust him. _Like for like, dear Elsa_."

Anna leaned back on the table and shoved her face between Elsa's and the maps. "Why don't you just seize the position? You'd be Arendelle's _queen_. Everyone here loves us, _you_."

"They respect me. There's a difference. Besides, it's not my place to take it. Valka--"

"Valka stepped down, Els. If Arendelle were one of those stupid rich kingdoms instead of a rapidly shrinking gang, you'd be next in line. Pitch is standing on a pedestal that doesn't belong to him. He is stealing it from us -- from you."

"Anna, please." Though her voice was soft and calm, it held an icy edge that shut Anna up instantly. "We are not arguing about this again. I don't want to be Arendelle's queen. No one could lead us or love us the way Chief did. He --"

Anna took her sister into her arms. "I know you still miss him, Els. We all do. You don't have to keep yourself so reclusive all the time. Arendelle is a family, your family. I'm your sister. We all want our light Elsa back."

"We don't have room to be light. We get distracted and people get hurt--"

"Elsa, it was an ambush. There was nothing you could've done."

"Hiccup --"

"Stopped me from signalling you. How long has it been, Elsa? You can't keep trying to carry their deaths on your shoulders. I miss them too. He was my brother too."

"You're right. I'm sorry. Let's just . . . let's just plan this out. Pitch won't be on the raid, so you and I will be shouldering the brunt of it. Honey's on the escape route and Ryder is on distraction duty."

Anna glanced between the maps of the manor, its interior, and the surrounding land. "Where are you stationing me?"

"You're making the grab," Elsa said, tapping the manor photograph in the newspaper clipping.

"Wait, what?"

"We're going ground level this time. No high wires. I'll be watching you all the way. Screw the rules. If something goes wrong, you run. With or without the goods."

"Elsa, it's going to be okay. We can do this."

Elsa wrapped her arms around herself. "That's what I said last time we struck the Overlands. Look how that turned out."

Anna nodded. "All right. What are we lifting? Jewels?" 

Elsa shook her head. "We're hitting the vaults. Rumour has it that the Overland family shares a set of royal jewels with some French royal family. Pitch thinks if we can get the jewels Overland has, we'd be set for at least half a year." 

Anna folded her arms and frowned. "I don't like this. Why doesn't he just take funds from his lapdog?"

"Who, Hans? Anna, that boy has no funds. His parents are rich. His brothers are rich. Him? He's a goddamn leech. He _thinks_ he's rich. Being royalty doesn't always ensure you'll be safe and secure forever. Someone will pull that rug from under his feet one of these days and then he better humble down and hope someone takes pity on him."

Anna chuckled. "You sound like you're speaking from experience." 

"I might be," Elsa teased, tapping her sister's nose affectionately. 

Anna giggled. Explicit displays of affection were rare when it came to Elsa, and so Anna always treasured each moment. Elsa had always been a little different, a little distanced, but never like this. She'd never been cold to anyone before the first Overland strike. Before they'd lost Hiccup and Gobber.

Anna knew she shouldn't blame Elsa. After all, Elsa was already blaming herself enough. She knew it was because Elsa thought that if she'd made the exit sooner, they could've avoided the ambush. She knew Elsa's new disregard for the rules came from Elsa blaming them for Stoick, Hiccup and Gobber's deaths. In fact, Anna was almost always surprised when Elsa enforced the rules. 

Anna was furious when Valka chose to step down as Arendelle's leader. She was absolutely livid when Pitch swept in without wasting a second. Anna presumed it was that moment that her bubbling hatred for Pitch began to rise. She hated how callously Pitch treated the gang. As if they were working for him. Often, Anna had vivid daydreams about the many ways she would get rid of Pitch. She'd been considered giving Hans a lump sum if he could take Pitch out. She'd really liked that idea, because either way it went, at least one of the men she truly despised would be out of the way.

"So it's set, then," Elsa said, starting to roll up the maps. "We'll go over it again with the others before we leave." 

Anna nodded along, pretending like she had heard it all. A small smile crossed Elsa's lips. She knew Anna just as well as Anna knew her. 

* * *

"Honeymaren, you'll be stationed here. Remember to make sure Anna's path is clear before you signal her. We--"

"I can help," Hans said, popping his head in the doorway.

Pitch gripped the edges of the table tight. His gray skin seemed to match the clouds. "Why don't we have a door?" he muttered, looking up from the map.

"Hans broke it last week when you tripped him up and he flew into the door," Ryder said. 

A gleeful smile lit Anna's face up as she remembered the day. 

"Who doesn't want the help of a prince?" Hans asked, meaning the question rhetorically.

" _Me_!" Elsa and Pitch both snapped, throwing first Hans then each other a withering glare. It was the only thing they agreed on without any kind of arguments; that Hans needed to go. 

"All right," Pitch said, standing up and smoothing his hair back. "I have a task for you." 

As Hans stepped into the room, Anna's face fell.

"We want to abduct the Overland heir and hold him ransom in exchange for a lump sum. Can you handle the kidnapping?" 

Elsa glared at Pitch. What was he up to now?

"A-alone?" 

"Yes. It's a one-person job, after all. We were just discussing who would make the actual kidnap when you arrived. Perfect timing, if I may say so." 

Ryder leaned towards the centre of the table. "That's not part of the plan, is it?" he asked softly. 

While Elsa watched Pitch, Anna and Honeymaren shook their heads.

"After all, if you want to prove your worth. . ."

Hans scoffed. "Of course I can do it." 

"Very well. Would you please equip the young prince with the necessary gear, Anna? I trust you've grasped your role already." 

Anna frowned but nodded. 

"Good, then you may leave. I do hope our protective gear isn't going to cut off his circulation."

As she left, a smile stretched Anna's lips. She may despise the man, but she had to admit his mind was a chaotic and cruel masterpiece. Not even Elsa would allow her to be so pettily unkind to Hans. 

"I hope you survive the ordeal," Pitch called. 

Anna didn't know if he spoke to Hans about the abduction or to her about dealing with Hans. Either way, she accepted the well-wishes.

* * *

"I don't like it," Ryder said, shifting uncomfortably as he paid for the vegetables and turned to leave the stall. 

"No one does," Anna said soothingly, patting his arm gently. "He doesn't deserve it."

"I'm talking about Elsa."

"Oh! Oh, I thought you meant the clear insinuation that Pitch was going to try to torture information out of the Jackson Overland imposter three floors under your temporary bedroom."

Ryder winced. "Yeah, I don't like that either."

Anna distributed the bags between them as they walked. "So, what's really bothering you?"

"Elsa is . . . I know she's always been a little distant and closed-off, but I've never seen her like this. I know you said it might have something to do with us being back in Burgess, where we lost Hiccup and Stoick, but come on. She's even worse now that Hans brought the Overland heir back to the hideout."

Anna shrugged. "Can you blame her? After Hicc and Valka, she knew Chief best -- and after Hicc and Valka, Chief loved her most. I was never jealous of that, but I was always worried. We all eventually learnt about the risks Chief took to bring home a meal for us. I often worried about him not coming back but Elsa . . . she was downright paranoid. Do you remember when Valka got captured and Chief missed the rendezvous to go after her? Elsa completely _freaked_. I knew his death would hit her hard for much longer than anyone else, but I didn't think coming back here would hit her this hard. Do you know, she restructured the raid so I'd be doing a ground theft?"

Ryder's eyebrows lifted. "I thought you pestered her until she let you do it."

"Nope. I think it's because she didn't want to be up on a ledge, waiting on the signal. She used to talk about how she'd wanted to jump and come down before the signal but she waited because of our rules. I think she was worried something else would happen and she wouldn't be in time to stop it. Again." 

"We all carry guilt, though. For a long time, I thought about how I could've done something if I hadn't chosen to stay back with Honey. She actually blamed herself for being sick for at least a couple months after."

Anna shrugged, offering the keys to Ryder so he could open the doors to their shabby-looking hideout. "Elsa's always been the big sister. She's always been my mom and dad when we didn't have them. When Chief took us in, those instincts stayed with her. She still tries to be mom and dad to us, but she's older now. She's got more control. But it doesn't stop her from hurting."

"Hm . . . hey! Let's make her a roast chicken feast! With chocolate cake after. You picked up the cocoa, right?" 

Anna smiled a toothy grin. "Yeah! You're a genius, Ry! Get Honey, we're gonna need her help with the chicken."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So far so good . . . no one's really fallen into deep drama yet..... 
> 
> But it will come, and I will cackle when it does


	3. Chapter 3

" _Torture_?! We don't-- we've _never_ tortured anyone!" 

While Elsa shrieked, Pitch remained calm. "There's always a first time for everything, dear Elsa." 

"He's innocent!" 

"He is a liar and a fraud. Lord Overland publicly announced that his son died at least three years prior." 

"That doesn't make him a criminal! He never claimed to be Jackson Overland! In fact, he hasn't said _anything_ at all!"

"You're overreacting, dear Elsa." 

"I hope you burn in hell, Black," she hissed, leering up at him.

"Come now, dear Elsa, I know I'm not that much older than you but a little respect would--"

"Respect?" Elsa spat, "for a man like you? You know, you're barely even a man, Black. Chief was a man. Hiccup was a man. You? You're a liar. A cheat. A coward who hopes to never be found out."

"There's no need for such harsh words, is there? You're simply on edge. You should sleep. I hear your sister is preparing a meal tonight. Such fun."

Elsa opened her mouth to spit more venomous words but was cut off by the sound of Hans' voice. 

"Is there anything I can do?"

Instantly, the pair's frustration and rage at each other diffused and they shared an incredibly deep annoyance at the sight of the prince.

"I'll be taking that nap," Elsa said, leaving before Hans could try to speak to her. 

"You must be quite riled up," Hans told Pitch.

"Oh, dear. I _wonder_ why."

"Does your prisoner not respond to your methods?"

Pitch regarded the prince in front of him. He'd sent Hans to capture the man because he knew it was an easy way to make sure he got one of the two things he wanted. Either he would have the man in his custody or Hans would have been lost trying to perform the abduction. Both outcomes had sounded positively delightful. 

Now, he wished he'd sent Hans on a task more perilous than the abduction. In the meantime, though . . .

"My time is precious," Pitch said. "I cannot be spending hours trying to make the prisoner talk. Do you think you can handle it? Or are you only driven to physical assignments we don't want you on?"

Hans laughed a hollow laugh. "I can handle an interrogation."

"Good. Then you go down there and you do your new job. I don't want to hear from you unless it's to tell me he's spoken or he's died. If I'm satisfied, I may consider letting you stay."

Hans nodded. "Very well. I'll take your leave, then."

As Hans left, Pitch sighed contentedly. He knew his prisoner would not speak and he knew Hans would not approach him if he hadn't dealt with the prisoner first.

Hans could very well be out of his hair for days -- even weeks. 

How splendid.

* * *

It had been nearly a month. By now, Arendelle would have moved. They never made a habit of staying in one place too long, lest anyone catch wind of their thefts and makes the connection to the strange group in town. 

But Pitch was obsessed with finding out what his prisoner knew. 

Each day made Elsa more and more uncomfortable. She'd almost snapped when Anna confessed that she'd been letting Ryder put his mattress in her room because he couldn't sleep with what went on down below. 

Now, nearly a month after the theft and the abduction, Elsa found herself sneaking down after dark, after everyone had found a place to lay their head. 

She knew they'd picked an abandoned prison warehouse to hide out in while they stayed. She was beginning to wonder if the reasons had less to do with hiding and more to do with Pitch having already planned the abduction.

She braced herself to see a broken and bloodied husk of a man as she came up on the cell and was pleasantly surprised to find someone who simply seemed tired and hungry, seated against the wall, head leaned back and his eyes closed. 

"When was the last time you ate?" she whispered.

He opened his eyes and studied her. Elsa had been studied by many a trained eye, and many a public eye, but his gaze made her shiver. She felt certain that he would not find her skin as cold to the touch as others did. He did not respond to her question, simply choosing to keep his unblinking gaze on her. 

"My sister baked today. I thought I'd sneak some down here for you."

"Sneak?" It was the first word she had heard him speak in all the time he'd been holed up in the cell. His voice didn't seem to match his body. His dirty clothes did not fit the voice of a king. "You weren't sent?" 

Elsa shook her head. She watched as he slowly got up and walked to the gate. 

"What is it?" 

"It's a blueberry pie. Her speciality."

"Your sister . . . she is the one with eyes like yours?" 

Elsa thought it was strange that he would notice Anna's eyes before her hair. "Yes. But we all consider ourselves brothers and sisters. Arendelle is a family." 

"Arendelle. And your leader--"

"Will burn in hell one day," she hissed, narrowing her eyes at the covered plate in her hands. 

He would have thought her lying if not for the sincere fury in her eyes. "Do you not approve of his ways?"

"I hate him," Elsa said plainly. "I always have and I always will."

"He does not approve of this, does he?"

"He doesn't know," Elsa said, pushing the plate between the two horizontal bars. "But it doesn't matter. He is going against nearly everything Arendelle stands for. He'll get his karma one day. I know it." 

Slowly, he took the plate from her. As soon as he did, she turned to leave.

"And what am I meant to do with the dish?"

"Whatever you like. I'd hide any sharp pieces out of sight if I were you." 

And for the first time since he'd been captured, a small smile graced his lips.

* * *

Weeks later, Elsa visited again, this time with Honeymaren's chicken pie. A few more weeks brought her down with her Ryder's cake. By the time they'd been in Burgess for five months, Elsa had begun to visit at least thrice a week. 

She didn't care if she got caught now. He was hurt and if he needed help. Elsa would not stand by in the distance and leave another helpless. 

"Hold still," she murmured, tying the sling. "Westergard won't be down again for at least a week, which means there's enough time for this to heal. Let me see the bruises." 

"Are you ever going to properly show me your face?" he asked, pulling his shirt up.

Elsa distracted herself from the brutal, blackened bruising at his waist with the joking air he had about him today. "Are you ever going to tell me your name?"

"Hm. That seems fair."

Elsa paused as she made contact with his skin, darting her eyes to his face. 

"Why do you hesitate? I assure you, it looks far worse than it is."

"No, I know. It's just . . . I've always had really cold hands"

He sighed and leaned his head back against the wall. "They're quite warm, actually," he murmured. 

"Right, so what I'm gathering is that you have nerve damage."

His soft chuckle made her smile. "Are you this funny with everyone?"

"No," she said truthfully, opening the ointment pot. Now, it seemed easier to focus on the wound. "Not really."

"Why not?"

"I'm not all that certain, but I know it was a steep decline to this after my brother died."

"You've never mentioned him before."

Elsa watched the small circles she made with the ointment on his skin. "He died three years ago. They -- Pitch said he drowned in the lake near the house we'd struck. The lake had frozen over. I still don't believe him."

"You blame him for your brother's death."

"Wouldn't you?"

He kept silent for a moment. "I suppose I would." 

"Sit up, I need to bind the wound." 

He watched her move with the bandage, light as snowfall. He felt the faintest of touches when she made contact with him. Her hands were not cold, as she had claimed. She moved gently, but with purpose. She knew what she was doing and she knew how to get it done. She was determined, but not hard and cold. 

"Why do you continue to steal? You have skills. I'm sure you could find work with hands like these. The sick and injured would love you." 

"It's less about the thieving and more about staying loyal to my family. We move around. We don't stay long enough to become suspicious. You must've done something certainly horrible to Pitch for him to be so invested in either killing or subduing you. He's not even bothered with those answers he wanted any longer." 

"I thought as much. But he shan't succeed." 

"And why is that? Are you immortal?"

"I've just got a very good doctor visiting now and then." 

Elsa turned away from the boyish smile he gave her and got to work packing up the medical supplies. Though she knew her face was majorly hidden behind the hood she wore, she didn't want him to see the heated flush on her cheeks.

"What happened to your hand?" 

Elsa glanced at the bandage wrapping her palm that she had long forgotten about. "Oh. I needed an excuse to keep the box with me. What better reason than an injury of my own."

"You hurt yourself?"

"Small slice on the palm of my hand. I barely even felt it, but with the number of nerve endings in the palm, I'd have bled everywhere if I didn't bind it up soon. Besides, my palms never scar. I'll be fine." 

He watched her close the box and stand up. 

"I'll try to be back before Westergard. Look after yourself in the meantime."

"I'll try," he said, watching her leave.

* * *

"Got a minute?"

Elsa, who had been rearranging her weapons out of boredom, looked up and nodded. "Something wrong?" 

Anna stepped in and closed Elsa's bedroom door behind her. "We -- I'm worried about you, Els. I know you don't like the fact that Pitch has a prisoner -- none of us do -- but you're getting seriously invested in him."

"He's an innocent man, Anna. You can't expect me to sit by and let Hans beat the life out of him for answers he neither has nor does Pitch even want. You and everyone else know as well as I that Pitch is only doing this to keep Hans occupied. I'd rather he just killed him than force him to suffer like this."

"I understand, Elsa, trust me. I really do. I'm just worried about you. You're risking yourself going down to see him every night. Pitch has been noticing how you've always got the medical supplies with you, how you're always taking dinner to your room. I know we've never stayed in one place so long and it's starting to irk everyone, but we are so few left. Don't do anything that would further estrange you from the rest of us. We love you and we want you to come back to us."

Elsa knew her sister meant well. She rarely ever didn't. "I can't just sit by and let this happen. It's been six months, Anna. No one should be forced to last this long under Hans' hand. But I do understand you. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised to know that this will not continue."

"It won't?" Anna was surprised, but she wouldn't quite call it pleasant. She might have found it more truthful to say she was mildly afraid of Elsa's next few words.

"Yes," Elsa said, turning over a dagger in her hand. "He won't be here for much longer and neither will we."

Anna's eyes bulged. "You're going to kill him yourself?!"

" _What_? No! Holy hell, Anna, are you _insane_? No, I'm going to help him escape."

Anna was silent for at least three seconds. "Are _you_ insane? You'll never make it past the front door!"

"I won't be going through the front door. Now, go to bed. The less you know, the easier it'll be to lie. Go on, shoo."

"I don't like this Elsa," Anna said as Elsa pushed her to the door. "You're really scaring me. You haven't taken risks like this since. . ."

Elsa gave her a final shove, pushing her over the threshold. "Since?"

"Since . . . since the first Overland strike."

Elsa hummed in thought. "I suppose you're right. Now get lost. I don't want you any more involved in this than need be. I'd really prefer it if you knew nothing, but . . . oh, well. Sweet dreams, Anna."

And she left Anna staring at a closed door. "Oh, I hope you know what you're getting into, Elsa."

* * *

Elsa locked the gate painfully slowly so as to not make a sound. 

"Why are you doing this?"

Elsa didn't respond. She simply grabbed his hand and pulled him down the hallway. "Burgess prisons were often built with secret chambers and hallways so the guards would be able to make their way around the prisons quickly. This one was built around then, so it has its hidden doors. One often led outside and was rarely used for anything other than fresh air down in the dungeons. You're going to have to climb. That's why we can't wait any longer. If you sustain any further injuries, you might never make it up."

"How do you know all of this?" he asked as she stopped in front of an engraving on the wall.

"I read a lot of history books. Come on, it's the next archway."

Elsa pulled him along until they came to a simple brick wall with an archway. She tapped the edges with the handle of the dagger she had been playing with in her room earlier. When she'd found the spot she was looking for, she jammed the blade in and pried the hidden door open. Stepping in, she held out her hand to him.

"Shouldn't you be heading back?"

"The hallways were designed to confuse any prisoners who had managed to find them. You'll get lost in here."

He hesitated before grabbing her hand and letting her pull him onto the ledge. The door slowly slid back into place, trapping them in darkness. 

"You didn't bring a torch?" he asked as she grabbed his hand and started walking.

"The light escapes through the cracks and would alert Pitch. He doesn't know about the tunnels, but he'd wonder how light was getting through stone walls."

"How do you know where to go?"

He heard the smile he couldn't see. "I spent six months mapping the tunnels out."

"Six months . . . that's how long I've been here."

"It is, yes. Watch your head, the ceiling is lower here."

As they slowly made their way through the hallway, over stones and under rocks, she never let go of his hand. When the light of the exit finally reached them, she paused. "There it is."

"Help me to the top?"

Elsa nodded, resuming the trek up the rocks. When they reached the final ledge before breaking out, she stopped again. "Where will you go?"

"I don't know yet." He gave her a teasing smile. "Do people still talk to one another out there?"

She laughed. "I'm sure the world isn't that much changed."

"Where will you go?"

"Wherever Arendelle goes. You should go before the sun gets any higher."

"Jack."

"Hm?"

"My name. Jack Frost."

Suddenly, Elsa realised she had spent so long tending to him without even knowing his name. She lowered the hood. "Elsa."

"Elsa," he repeated, studying her.

Elsa kept still, feeling as though he were committing her every feature to memory. "I promise you I will not forget all that you have done for me."

And with a quick and light kiss on her cheek, he was gone. Elsa lifted a hand to her cheek. The spot was cool to the touch, even for her. She didn't feel like she had been kissed as much as she felt like a snowflake had found its end on her cheek. When she lifted herself out of the tunnel, he was nowhere to be found. She took a deep breath, already feeling lighter now that he was no longer subject to never-ending pain. 

Jack Frost. She would not forget him either.


	4. Chapter 4

_**T O D A Y** _

"I hate it here," Elsa grumbled, looking at the snow around her.

"You and me both," Valka said, handing Elsa a cloak. "Nothing good happens in Burgess."

Elsa smiled as she threw the cloak over her shoulders. "Does it ever _not_ snow here?"

"I wonder. I don't think I want to stay long enough to see a season change, though."

Elsa sighed. "I hate Pitch. I don't think I've ever hated anyone more. I've never asked, but why? Why did you let him have all this control?" 

Valka clasped her hands behind her back. "I could not lead without Stoick and Hiccup, and you . . . you were just eighteen. I could not place a burden like that on your shoulders. We all make mistakes in our lives, Elsa, but I doubt some as great as mine. When you are ready, you will take it from him." 

"And what will I do with it?" Elsa asked, pulling the cloak tighter and watching the fresh snow land in the old piles. "I'm not fit to be a queen."

"No. But you are fit to be a mother. What better to look out for a family?"

Elsa sighed, twice in the last ten minutes. "Do you know why we're here?" 

Valka scowled. "Pitch is going to present himself as one of Lord Overland's creditors. The man had a lot of debt in his life and now that he's passed, his debts must be paid." 

"Doesn't he have a young daughter?"

"So the rumours say. But rumours aren't to be trusted. They're what stranded us here. Rumours of Jackson Overland being alive enough to be bartered for money. Whatever did happen to the young man?" 

Elsa closed her eyes. Still, two and a half years later, his face was a clear picture in her mind. She wondered if she imagined the soft smile on his face, the way he'd kissed her cheek so gently. The look in his eyes as he promised to remember her. Did he? Would he recognise her if they met again? 

"Whatever happened, I hope it set him free."

Valka only hummed and turned to the town. Together, as mother and daughter, they watched the light snowfall coat the cobblestone pathways.

* * *

Elsa picked at the lace gloves on her hands. She hated the restrictions of cloth over her fingers. She wanted to feel everything. She hated not knowing what something truly felt like. She found it awkward, shaking hands and being unable to determine what sort of work they did.

She also hated the colour. Black. How dark. Black was Anna's colour. The colour Anna wore when she handled the theft. The colour Anna wore when she wanted to blend into the shadows. 

Elsa loved her white. Her blinding white that she wore when she struck during the winter months. The colour Elsa wore when she walked a wire high in the sky. The colour Elsa wore when she wanted to blend into the clouds. 

She folded her hand in front of her and tried to look as though she belonged. Her gaze swept the room several times. Every Arendellian was present. Their numbers had dwindled so fast over the years. Stoick would've been heartbroken. The Arendellian heads in the room were countable on the fingers of one hand. 

Watching the multitudes of mourners walk by reminded Elsa that Arendellians did not get funerals of grandeur. There were no mourners above those of Arendelle. But she wouldn't have hers any other way. They lived lives in the early hours of the morning and they would die as nightfall ended. Sunset marked their end with flames over the skies and sunrise kissed their graves with tender rays of light. 

She would sooner have a funeral like those than one so formal and business-like. 

There was only one who cried. Elsa abandoned her post to offer comfort. She couldn't explain the instinct.

_No, but you are fit to be a mother_

"Did you know him well?" the young girl asked before Elsa could say anything. 

"Never met him. An associate of mine wishes to be here."

"Ah, one of Father's creditors."

Elsa paused. "So he does have a daughter, then," she murmured to herself. 

"What?"

"Nothing, sorry. Was he a good man?" 

The young girl shrugged. "He was good to all but himself." 

Elsa sat down on the couch beside the girl. "What do you mean?" 

"He spent in the way of everyone else, threw parties to entertain, encouraged young children to dream big. But he spent more than he had. Our lifestyle was a borrowed one. I fear I'll have nothing left when all is claimed and his ever debt still may not be paid." 

"I see." 

"But he wasn't a bad man. He was a good man with bad habits." 

"We all make mistakes. It's not your fault." 

The young girl dabbed at her eyes with a soaked handkerchief. "Sorry, I'm being terribly rude. I'm Emma." 

"Elsa. And it's all right, really, I know what it is to lose a father." 

"How did your father die? If I may ask."

Elsa picked again at the lace covering her hands. "We were out together. My sister, my parents and I. I was rather young, perhaps about four or five. We'd been going to see a festival, I think. We never did make it there. I remember our carriage in pieces. I remember dragging my baby sister from the splintered wood. She'd barely been a year old, then. When I finally looked around, there was another carriage fleeing, at least three horses with it. We lost both our parents that day." 

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. We can't control everyhting. We've made a new home for ourselves now. I have all I could ever want for. You'll find your feet again, Emma. I know it doesn't feel like it, but you'll find your place in the world. Everyone eventually does."

"Have you found yours?" Emma asked, unblinking hazel eyes on Elsa. 

"Yes," Elsa said, though it wasn't with all the certainty she wished it had had.

* * *

Anna knocked on the door before pushing it open. "Els. . ."

Elsa turned away from the window, pulling a burgandy shawl tighter over her shoulders. "Hey, I thought I told you three to go to bed an hour ago. What are you doing up?"

"I . . . I wanted to talk to you." 

Elsa held out her hands as Anna approached, eagerly grabbing on to Elsa's hands. "What do you want to talk about?" 

"Mom and dad. You never told me how they died. You always said it was an accident."

Elsa smiled. "Eavesdropper." 

"Elsa, please. What really happened to them?"

Elsa let go of Anna's hands, and walked to her bed, wrapping her arms around herself. "I don't know, Anna. All I remember is being so excited for this festival we were going to and then . . . and then the carriage was in pieces and you were screaming. Mom and dad . . . they weren't moving. I was so scared. Our horses were down too. I just . . . I just wish I knew who did it and why."

"It wasn't an accident?" Anna asked, sitting down in front of Elsa. 

Elsa shook her head. "I met Yelena a week after. She gave me something to eat and something for you. She gave us a change of clothes and then she vanished. I didn't see her again until I was seven. She recognised me. She convinced Stoick to take us in. I say convinced, but she barely did anything above mentioning us. Valka took a bit of convincing."

"What happened to her?"

"I . . . hm. I don't know. She was here one day and the next she was gone. I think I last saw her when I was twelve. That was the same year Pitch showed up."

Anna frowned. "I know he's a horrible guy now, but you don't really think he had something to do with it?"

Elsa shook her head. "No. He was at least sixteen when Chief let him in. You know how Chief was, all children, big or small. Besides, I only started seeing him suspiciously a few years after. He was fine before that. Weird and a little bit of a shady guy, but not cruel and -- and -- and _evil_. Like he is now. Anna, I feel like everything is falling apart. Without Chief--"

"Hey, it's not your fault. I know you've always seen yourself as the big sister, but we're not babies anymore. We can look after ourselves and more importantly, we can look after you. Ryder's the youngest of us and he's already turning nineteen. You don't need to do everything by yourself, Elsa. We're more than capable of helping you. Arendelle is _all of us_. You're not alone in this anymore." 

Elsa smiled. "What would I do without you, Anna?"

"You'll always have me," Anna said, tapping her sister's nose affectionately. 

* * *

"What do you want now?" Pitch asked, raising his eyebrows at Elsa. "You called for us all." 

Elsa glanced around, noting how where Arendelle would once take up a whole room, they now took up barely a full dining table. "I want to take Emma Overland in," she said flatly, planting herself firmly and waiting for arguments.

"And are you going to take responsibility for her? Are you going to train her? Toughen her up? Expose her to the brutality of our way of life? Are you going to show her what it means to be a hardened criminal?" Pitch scoffed. "Please. She wouldn't last a day."

"No," Elsa said, narrowing her eyes. "I'm going to look after her. Love her. Teach her to deal with her losses. Show her how to find hope in all the bleakness in her life. I'm going to show her what it means to be taken care of when no one else looks your way."

"She's penniless now that all her father's debts have been paid, dear Elsa, and a nobleman's daughter. She offers nothing of value for us. You will not--" 

"You shut your filthy mouth!" Anna yelled, standing up and slamming her hands on the table. She glared at Pitch with a fury not even Elsa had ever felt, let alone tried to subdue. "Arendelle has done _nothing_ but get smaller ever since you took the reigns. And I've been quiet. I've been quiet for _six goddamn years_. I have seen you drag our name in the dirt over and over again. Arendelle was never feared! Arendelle was respected! Arendelle was safe and welcoming! Do you think my sister and I had value to offer when Stoick accepted us? She was _seven_! I couldn't even say 'Elsa' properly! Do you think Honeymaren had value to offer when Stoick accepted her? She was nine and unable to read. And Ryder! Ryder couldn't even use the toilet by himself when Stoick picked him up and brought him home!! Arendelle was never about your worth or your skills. It has _always_ been about making a home worth loving!

"Stoick loved us and he cared for us up until the moment he died! If he were here today, he would have went up to Emma himself. If Stoick were here today, the rest of Arendelle would still be here! You are a curse and a poison. You will get what's coming your way, Pitch Black. You are not the heart of Arendelle. Stoick was. Stoick taught us to love each other and to be kind and caring to those who need it. Stoick taught us that family doesn't end in blood. So _you_ , you cruel, stinking, worthless, pitiful excuse of a man, you can shut your mouth and keep your concerns to yourself. Elsa and I will go and speak to Emma later today. If you even try to hurt her, I will personally see to it that you pray you go to hell soon." 

Elsa blinked slowly at her sister. She'd always know Anna to be a little abrupt and plenty fiery, but she had never seen Anna erupt so viciously before. In fact, she was quite impressed. 

Anna stood up straight and dusted her hands off. "And you tell that sorry excuse of a prince to stay the hell away from Emma or I'll have him castrated. You can leave, now." 

No one dared move as Anna turned on her heel and stormer off. Like Elsa, they all knew she had a temper that could flare, but until then, none of them had ever witnessed it. Watching colour slowly return to Pitch's face, they each made a silent prayer to _never_ find themselves on Anna's bad side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh look at that, we finally made it to present day lol


	5. Chapter 5

"Are you sure about this?" Elsa asked, wringing her hands.

"It's my blueberry pie. Everyone loves my blueberry pie. I know I can only make about three dishes, but I make them really well. If anything, she'll come with for more pie."

Elsa gave her sister a blank stare. "You know what I mean, Anna."

"I know, and it'll be fine. We're not going to force her to come with us."

Elsa continued to stare.

Anna sighed. "She deserves to know, Elsa. If she decides to come with us and later finds out Pitch was one of the men who drove her penniless, she'd feel so-- so-- ugh, so--"

"Betrayed." 

The sisters froze and turned to the open front door and the young girl in the doorway. 

"Blueberry pie?" Anna offered, holding the plate up with a guilty smile. 

Emma stepped back and gestured for them to come in. "Normally," she said as she locked up and pushed past to show them to the dining hall, "I'd slam the door in your faces, but I quite liked the idea that one of you felt I deserved to know the truth. That, and I wanted to taste the pie. My mother used to make the best." 

"That's not all," Anna said, setting the plate down and taking the knife Emma handed her. "Pitch . . . Your father didn't really owe him anything. Pitch feigned it all for money, something Arendelle has never done before. He's dragging our name in the dirt and we're looking for allies to help knock him down six feet."

"We are not!" Elsa interjected, shooting her sister a warning glare. "Emma, I want to help you. Arendelle was built on love and open arms. We're not here to force you to come with us and we're not here to trick you. We're just here to ask. To ask you if you'd like to come with us. If you need a home."

Emma frowned. "You look different without your wig." 

Elsa instinctively reached for her single braid, forgetting that she had been wearing a black bob when she and Emma had met. "It was necessary. Arendelle might be the embodiment of loving one another, but we're still against the law."

"I see. What will you do when you find out I can neither lie nor steal?"

Anna shrugged. "We'll love you anyway. It's not your skills that make you important. It's how you love. Even if we have nothing in this world, we have love. It's all I need to keep going -- and I can tell it's all you'll need." 

"We will train you," Elsa said, "if you want to get better at it."

Emma took the slice of pie Anna handed her. "Surely there must be some downside to Arendelle."

"Pitch," Elsa growled. "But putting up with him should be easy for a young lady with a sharp tongue." 

Emma smiled. "You think I have a sharp tongue?"

"I think you have everything you need to survive this world alone. But I also think that you shouldn't have to." 

"This pie is delicious." 

"I'll bake again if you come with us," Anna said, causing Elsa to roll her eyes.

"I'll come with you, but I swear it's not just for the pie."

Elsa smiled. "I wouldn't blame you if you came just for the pie. It's Anna's specialty."

* * *

Elsa pushed open Honeymaren's bedroom door. "You'll be staying here for a while," she told Emma. 

"Hi," Honeymaren said from the bed, where she sat curled up with a book. 

"Hello," Emma said. 

"Emma, this is Honeymaren. Honey, this is Emma. These sleeping arrangements will only last until we leave Burgess. Ryder and I will be making a quick theft tomorrow night for food and supplies. We leave the next night. You'll be safe here with the rest of them."

Emma nodded. "Thank you, Elsa." 

"Don't mention it. Now, why don't you get a small nap in before lunch? I hear Ryder's going to help Valka prepare something roasted."

"Oh, dear," Honeymaren murmured, "Lord have mercy on us all." 

Emma giggled softly. She turned in a slow circle, admiring the temporary decorations Honeymaren had put up to make the room feel more homey. She stopped on Honeymaren herself, her eyes drawn to the cover of the book Honeymaren was so very interested in. "Is that _The Canterville Ghost_?" 

Honeymaren glanced at her book. "You've read it?"

"Only about six or seven times! Have you read the bit--"

"NO! This is only my first time! Don't you dare spoil a damned thing!"

Elsa chuckled. "I'll let you two get aquianted. I'll call for you when lunch is ready."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UGH
> 
> Where is my drama??? Where is my ANGST
> 
> Jack Frost, you better pull up your socks and show up, I'm getting impatient I WANT MY ANGST AND DRAMA--


	6. Chapter 6

Two days later, Arendelle was ready to leave Burgess. As it had become custom over the years, Pitch and Elsa stood at opposite sides of the rounded table, both leaning over the maps. They hated each other, but they had enough survival sense to work together.

"We can't head further North," Pitch said, "we'd have a better chance finding the Dragon City."

Elsa lifted her gaze from the map in front of her. "The Dragon City is a myth," she said flatly.

Pitch shrugged. "Of course. My point still stands. If we head North, we risk freezing to death." 

Elsa tapped a city on one of the maps. "We haven't been to the kingdom of Corona in months. Or Maldonia."

"Hm. Both are only accessible from here by ship, and the ships aren't sailing from Burgess harbours in this snow. There's only one person I know stupid enough to _sail_ out of Burgess."

"Oh my! And who's _this_ lovely lady?"

Elsa grimaced at the sound of Hans' voice.

Anna pushed the door open. "Hans is here," she said, a pointed glare at Pitch.

"Tell him we wish to speak to him."

"I'd really rather head North," Elsa muttered, grimace turning to a look of exhausted annoyance as Hans walked in. 

"As would I," Pitch muttered back, watching Hans take his sweet time approaching the table. 

"What might I offer Arendelle today?"

"Your ship," Pitch said, "we'd like to travel. . ."

"West," Elsa blurted.

"West," Pitch said with a nod.

Hans shook his head. "No way. If you're boarding my ship, we're going to the Southern Isles. You'll love it. Sunny skies and warm oceans. Nothing like this freezing snow." 

Pitch glanced at Elsa and raised his eyebrows. "I've never been to the Southern Isles."

"Besides, there'll be a festival now. The Southern Isles is enjoying the summer season and a fair amount of royals and nobles will be gathering for the festival. It's a rather large affair. Imagine the score. You wouldn't even have to take a lot from each one to amass a small fortune. Nobles from here too are contemplating how they'll make the journey South."

"He has a point," Pitch said, "this festival seems like a good point to strike."

"I hate summer," Elsa said stubbornly.

"You'll hate turning to an ice sculpture even more," Pitch countered. 

"Fine! We'll go to the Southern Isles but you--" Elsa rounded on Hans, pointing her finger at him, "-- you stay away from Emma. And my sisters. Are we clear?"

"Crystal. Oh, I suppose you'll all need to pilfer some appropriate garments for the events. No matter, the Southern Isles can provide. I'll see you at the docks this evening. No later than midnight, I presume?"

"No later," Pitch said, nodding. 

To his and Elsa's great relief, Hans turned and left. 

"We could rob him blind and I think he'd thank us," Elsa said.

"Well, don't say it out loud. I just might decide to do it."

Elsa scoffed as she began rolling the maps up. "You wouldn't even get in without help from the rest of us."

"Eat sugar and die, dear Elsa."

"Kiss my ass, Black."

Elsa smiled triumphantly as Pitch left, rolling his eyes and scoffing as if she'd said something incredibly stupid. Point to Elsa.

* * *

"Are you warm enough?" Elsa asked, buttoning up Emma's coat. "It gets incredibly cold out at sea."

"I've never left Burgess before," Emma said distractedly, looking out into the harbour. 

"Mm, well, it's a beautiful sight to see from beyond the harbour. Where are your gloves?"

Emma pulled them out of her pockets. "Here. And I've got my scarf too." 

"Good. Don't lose them, we've only got one set each. Ryder!" Sighing, Elsa left Emma to pick up the hat that lay a few steps away. Ryder jogged up to her as she finished dusting it off. She jammed it on his head, making sure it covered his ears. "Pay attention to your things, Ryder. What did you do with your scarf?"

"Anna has it. She and Honey are coming with the food. I was going to go and help, but they said they've got it."

Elsa nodded. "Stay with Emma. I'm just going to check on Valka."

By the time Elsa made sure all three of them were warm enough, Anna and Honeymaren had returned and Hans had arrived to tell them the ship was ready.

"Make yourselves useful," Elsa told him and Pitch, "help Ryder with the food and water." 

Pitch rolled his eyes, but he wasn't in the mood to fight with Elsa.

Elsa pulled Anna's scarf from her hand and wrapped it around her neck. "Better?" she asked, satisfied that Anna's teeth had stopped chattering. Anna nodded as Elsa fixed Honeymaren's hat, pulling it down to cover her ears as she had done earlier to Ryder. "Honey, would you please help Emma to board the ship? I'll help Anna with these boxes here." 

Honeymaren nodded and walked off, extending an arm to Emma and calling her name.

"You know," Anna said with a small smile as she picked up half the boxes, "you don't need to mother us around. We're big boys and girls now." 

Elsa smiled, picking up the rest. "I'm always going to be your big sister, Anna. Nothing will ever change that."

* * *

Emma joined Elsa at the bow spirit. "I've never seen something so beautiful." 

Elsa glanced slightly to her right. "There's always been something incredibly magical about it to me. Hiccup loved to sail at night, because he would be able to see the ocean sunrise."

"I had a brother, too," Emma said softly, squinting in the sunlight. "Father said he drowned in the lake near our home."

"You don't believe it?"

"The same night, we found my best friend, the daughter of one of father's servants, dead in the hallway leading to the back of the property. Her name was Genevieve Harrington. No one even knew she'd died. Father had her buried quietly, with everyone in the household standing as her mourners. She was nine years old. I'm certain she saw something and whoever got my brother killed, they made sure she would never say anything to anyone." 

"How old were _you_?"

"I'd just turned eleven that day. How old were you when your brother died?" 

"I think I'd turned eighteen a few months before."

When Emma didn't respond, Elsa turned her gaze from the sunrise to the young teen, to find her frowning in thought. "What's wrong?" 

"When did Hiccup die?"

Elsa. "Exactly six years ago in two days. Why?"

"I turn seventeen in two days," Emma said, more to herself than Elsa. 

Elsa did a quick calculation. "Hiccup died the same day your brother did." 

"The same night. You said he died on a raid." 

"Yes . . . Emma, I think you might be right about your brother's death not being an accident." 

"Why's that?" 

"I think whoever killed your brother . . . are the same ones that ambushed us. It's no co-incidence. We meant to strike the manor. Someone knew we were going to be there, or at least, that's what I was told. What if it wasn't an ambush? What if we'd stumbled into a murder and they'd tried to tie up loose ends with us?"

Emma stared at Elsa, eyes wide and mouth open slightly. She promptly shut her mouth and turned to the rising sun. "What a small world."

* * *

Anna popped her head into an empty cabin and sighed upon finding it so. "Where _is_ she?"

She was just about to call out Elsa's name when she heard voices in the next cabin. Quietly, she crept closer, straining to listen in and identify the voices.

"I've only just recieved word myself. I didn't know she'd be attending the festival."

"Tell me, what good are you when you can't even keep a witch of a woman at bay?" 

Anna frowned. Pitch arguing with Hans? She'd been under the impression Pitch didn't even bother to share a proper greeting with him. What were they arguing about, anyway?

"Look," Hans said, "I don't know what Gothel did to you, but there's nothing I can do. You'll just have to shape up and have the guts to face her or avoid her yourself. Honestly, doesn't Elsa hate you more?"

"Dear Elsa doesn't want to _kill me_ on sight," Pitch pointed out. Outside, Anna shrugged. He had a point. Elsa did hate him quite a fair bit, but he earned his keep. 

"I can't help you anymore, Pitch. Whatever she did to you and whatever you did to her, it was what? Five, six years ago? Both of you need to grow the hell up and stop behaving like children. You can't be that afraid of a woman who's just about ready to have a mid-life crisis."

"You don't know Gothel. She's far older than she looks and she has no concept of hesitation or the ability to be reasoned with. She wouldn't give me a second to speak. No, you'll have to keep her away from me. You know I'm all that's letting you even speak to Arendellians. If I'm gone, Arendelle will never look at you again. Face it, if you want to see anyone in Arendelle ever again, you'll keep Gothel from noticing me."

Hans scoffed. "You know, Elsa's right. You _are_ an incredible asshole."

"It's a cruel world, boy, and you have to be cruel to survive."

"Don't be patronising. You're only three years older than me. I pray for my own sanity that Gothel finds you before I find her. Arendelle only had enough space for one of us."

"I've been doing this three years longer than you, Westergard. Don't think you can beat me at my own game. Now, don't you have some prince-ly duties to complete elsewhere?"

"The tolerance everyone has for you is astounding."

At the sound of Hans' voice getting louder, Anna dashed into the adjacent room to avoid being seen. Now here was something nice to share with the rest of Arendelle. Pitch seemingly afraid of an old woman? How delightful!

* * *

The way Anna saw it, Elsa didn't find the news all that interesting. Elsa, in truth, was simply trying to wrap her head around telling Anna that this Gothel might actually be a force to be reckoned with. 

She wasn't quite sure how to explain to her sister that she believed whoever Gothel was, she was responsible for what had happened six years ago -- both to Arendelle and the Overland household. She still had to tell Anna what she'd gathered from Emma.

Elsa was really beginning to consider sending Emma to tell it all to Anna. It had been days since she'd heard both pieces of new information, nearly two weeks, and she still had yet to reveal to either of them what the other now knew.

"Something on your mind, dear Elsa?"

Elsa rolled her eyes, keeping them on the islands in the distance. "What do you want, Pitch?"

"Nothing, really. We should dock this evening, I believe. I suggest sending Westergard out to secure us a safe spot to stay."

Elsa was about to nod. "Wait, he's a prince, isn't he?"

"A mighty annoying one, but yes. Why?"

"Well, I suggest Westergard present us as his _guests_ instead. All the added benefits aside, I do believe Ryder and the girls would simply love to experience life in a palace. Wouldn't you like to sleep on a bed that doesn't break your back, for once?"

"And get used to comfort?" Pitch scoffed. "No, thank you."

"You could always sleep in the stables. Look, the palace is likely to be secure. Our comings and goings might be monitored, but where would we ever go when the palace will be housing all the visiting royals? and perhaps some of the nobles, too."

Pitch stared at Elsa. "My, aren't you feeling devious today, dear Elsa."

"I have my moments," Elsa said, a small smile creeping onto her face. "If we're to be presented as his guests, we would cease to be suspects in any lower town robberies."

Pitch raised an eyebrow. "You never rob the lower town. That's my thing, I suggest that. What's gotten into you?"

"Not the lower town citizens. Rumour has it an old woman in the lower town of the main isle has a stolen fortune beneath her home. She's well cared for with her own small fortune, but she hoards the stolen one like buried treasure. The best part is that she doesn't stay there all year round. She's almost never there in the summer months."

"Robbing an old lady, dear Elsa? We should get you out of the cold more often."

"Don't push your luck, Pitch. Prepare the ship for docking. You and I get off as soon as we dock and get presentable clothing for the others. Don't forget to speak to the prince. Oh, and practice speaking to him as you would any other royal. Appearances are key in deceit." She turned to leave and paused to give him a sweet smile. "You of all people would know that, right?"

Pitch scowled as she left. He absolutely loathed Elsa giving him orders. He led Arendelle. Not her. Not Valka. Not anyone else. Arendelle was his to command. 

And yet, she still found moments to assert herself above him. To state her wishes and expect them to be fulfilled. She still found ways to make him feel as he had under Stoick. 

He absolutely loathed Elsa. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been betrayed. By my own characters. They just will not let the rising action begin!! No matter, I shall try again next chapter.


	7. Chapter 7

It proved surprisingly easy to be presented as guests of the youngest prince. Though word of Arendelle had reached places they'd never even visited, no one in the Southern Isles seemed to put two and two together.

It was either that or everyone in the Southern Isles was rather unbothered. They'd hardly even been presented. It felt more like they'd simply heard their names and then been ushered away to their guest chambers. The king and queen, the very people they were meant to be presented to, hadn't seemed very interested. 

As Elsa expected, the younger members of Arendelle were thrilled to be staying in a palace. Even Pitch seemed genuinely amused at Ryder's animated retelling of Anna walking into a knight display. He quickly assured Elsa that they'd put it back together again. 

Seeing as Hans insisted the stay for the end of the festival that was yet to begin, it was decided that they all required a wardrobe. Elsa instructed them to stay out of the lower town unless they intended to pay for their things. She permitted them to make small robberies off the rich and arrogant merchants near the palace and subtly encouraged them to steal from the very unobservant monarchs. 

If any of them got caught, they'd simply make a theft of Hans' ship and sail wherever they liked.

Honeymaren had even taken Emma out a few times to teach her some tricks on the trade. When Elsa took Emma out, Elsa was rather impressed with the garnet ring Emma returned with.

Truthfully, Elsa didn't mind staying in the Southern Isles all that much. She only complained about the weather, but each of them told her at least once that she only found it excessively hot because she was too used to the cold. Valka even reminded her of a burglary they'd made in the winter a year ago, where Elsa hadn't even worn her usual winter gear. 

Today, though -- at least four days since they'd docked in the Southern Isles harbour -- Elsa furiously stormed through the palace. Even if she hadn't already mapped out a general idea of the palace in her head, Anna's yelling would've proved a good enough tracking point.

She stormed into the throne room, Emma following close behind. Ignoring the royal couple, Elsa marched right up to the guards Anna fought with and wrenched her sister away.

"Who _the hell_ do you think you are," she hissed, glaring, "to chain whomever you please?" 

All along, the king and queen had tiredly watched Anna yell and try to fight her way past two guards. Now that Elsa had arrived and was beginning to scare the guards, the king stood up. 

"Young lady--"

"I'm not talking to you," Elsa said, holding her hand up, "not until you release them." 

If the stunned look on the king's face was anything to go by, Elsa would be willing to bet good money he'd never been spoken to like that before. 

"Give the order or I will forcibly release them myself and I can assure you, Your Majesty, it will not be a pretty affair."

The king gestured for the guards to obey Elsa's wishes. As soon as they did, she pushed past the first two and roughly shoved aside the two holding on to empty chains.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly, taking Ryder's and Honeymaren's hands. 

Ryder, though he looked afraid, nodded firmly. Elsa gave both their hands a reassuring squeeze and smiled at them. She guided them both to stand with Anna, knowing that them simply being on either side of her would instantly cool her temper. 

"This is the first and the last time you will address any member of the family as such," the king told Elsa, visibly trying to keep a lid on his own rage. "The next time it happens, I will not be so merciful. In the future, remind your servants to remain where they should."

Elsa was perfectly all right with being threatened by the king. She had, after all, been outright rude to him and his status, something she guessed he had no experience in. She would have simply taken it and left, her four sibling in tow. But to hear him refer to Honeymaren and Ryder as slaves invoked a fury in Elsa that only Anna could match. The only difference between the sisters was that Elsa's nature was not to erupt. 

She settled her cold gaze on the king, making him shift uncomfortably at once. "If you _ever_ call them servants again, the Southern Isles will have a king no more. I'm no stranger to treason and I must advise you that sending the royal guard after me will prove fruitless. All you will have done is left yourself unguarded. Let this be a warning to you, _Your Majesty_. We are guests of the youngest prince. Do not think that will stop me from ending your reign. I am a woman of my word. It would do you well to heed it."

"You have no right--!"

"Oh, come now. Don't you think you've done enough? You wouldn't like it if I demanded a public apology be made, would you?" 

"Elsa," Honyemaren whispered, "that's en--"

Anna shushed Honeymaren. She thought the king deserved Elsa's treatment -- and worse -- and she wasn't about to let Honeymaren warm the ice in Elsa's eyes. 

Fury blazed in the king's eyes. "I could have you locked in the dungeons."

"You could," Elsa said thoughtfully, "but are you sure you wouldn't like to see the festival next year? And the year after? Are you willing to sign your death so soon? I thought kings were smarter than that."

The king was at a loss for words. Never in his life had anyone, not the citizens nor any guests, ever spoken to him in such a manner, threatened him so casually. Elsa could see it, and she pounced on it without hesitation. 

"If that's all you have to say, we will be retiring to our chambers. I trust you will have some ointment sent for their bruised wrists."

Anna leaned to Elsa and whispered, "Ryder has a cut on his arm."

"Nevermind the ointment," Elsa told the king, "have someone fetch the best healer in the kingdom. You'll have to pay them their dues, though. After all, it is your guards that have caused these injuries. It's really the least you can do."

The king's jaw dropped as Elsa gestured for Anna to lead the three other out. She paused before following. "I don't like to be disappointed, Your Majesty."

Hiding behind a pillar, Pitch smirked as they left. It was somewhat satisfying to see someone else suffer at Elsa's words the way he often did. He counted himself lucky that Elsa never really threatened _his_ life. She was a woman of her word and Pitch would never dare say it aloud, but the day Elsa promised to end him would be the day his luck ran out. He silently prayed the day would never come. He knew he could fight Elsa. He didn't think he could fight Arendelle together.

* * *

The first day of the festival was fun. The people on the Isle gathered for a ridiculously sized lunch and there were always enough eyes on the young children playing around. Elsa smiled as she watched Ryder and Emma immediately join in the fun. It took a few minutes to rope in Honeymaren and Anna. They tried and tried with Elsa, but she wouldn't budge. She insisted that she was content watching over them.

Though the day was merry and the sun was warm and bright, Elsa couldn't help her sombre mood. She'd never missed Stoick more that she did as she remembered how they would play and laugh together when she was little. Ryder was too little to join in, but she remembered him laughing and clapping from Valka's arms as she danced to merry tunes from Gobber. She remembered there being so many more children around her. 

She knew some had simply grown up before they really did and chose to make their own way in life. Elsa had always loved how Stoick supported their decision. But those weren't frequent. After Stoick's death, Arendelle dwindled down to a total of six. If she counted Hans, they were now eight. Stoick would be heartbroken. 

Despite her gloomy thoughts, Elsa put on a bright smile when the children -- Arendelle's young members included -- caught her attention and gave her a cheery wave. She would not dim their moods too. 

After a few minutes more, she asked Valka to keep an eye on them as she wanted to see if Pitch was "surviving the horde of happy children". Valka had only chuckled and sent Elsa on her way. 

Elsa walked along the streets of the Isle, admiring the effort the people had put into decorating their shop fronts and homes. She eventually found Pitch by the sound of his voice -- and he wasn't alone. She glanced around to make sure no one paid her any attention before she ducked into the next alley. Bunching up the skirt of her dress, Elsa scaled the wall, finding easy footholds in the rough bricks. It helped that she usually had to find grips in frozen walls that were often far too slippery. 

Pleased that she'd made it to the top without damaging the soft lilac dress, Elsa walked to the edge of the rooftop and leaned over to see who Pitch spoke with. The rooftop was high enough that they didn't notice her and low enough that she could hear them. 

"In the Southern Isles, too. Why, Pitch, I never expected to see you again, let alone here." 

The woman tilted her head back as she laughed, shaking her mass of black ringlets. From her spot, Elsa could easily see that her green eyes held no humour. 

"What do you want from me, Gothel?"

Ah, so this was the woman Anna had told her about.

"You've heard the tale of the poor Princess of Corona?"

"Hm, tragic haircut, was it?"

Gothel hissed. "Almost. But I still lost all the power I had that day. And then, just when I was about to get it back, you ruined it."

"You look fine to me, Gothel. Bit of crow's feet, though." 

"I've found others who suit my requirements. I must say, I'm disappointed. I would've thought by now you'd have all the power and control you desired."

"Good things to those who wait."

"A silly sentiment said by those too unfortunate to take what they want when they want. You should not have come here, Pitch. I've not forgotten your betrayal."

Pitch scoffed. "Don't be so dramatic, Gothel, it was six years ago. His death was a freak accident and you know it. You didn't have to kill the girl."

"Would you have preferred it if she'd identified you? What would your dear, sweet Elsa say if she knew how deeply rooted you are in all of this?"

"She's not my anything," Pitch snapped, "she's the last hurdle in my path. I can manage her myself. I don't need you and your expensive help. The boy's death might be on my hands, but I refuse to take responsibility for the girl. You chose to dispose of her because you couldn't stand the absence of your lovely lively locks."

"Maybe," Gothel hummed, "but the others? Their deaths are on your hands alone. You brought them into the affair to serve as a distraction. You led them to their deaths. It's pitiful how hilariously you failed. I, at least, got something out of the botched affair."

"Oh, yes, nine innocent years."

"Would you stop harping on about the girl? You're no saint."

"Maybe, but I don't happen to prey on the _lives_ of children."

"Right, just their fears."

"Fear is a powerful motivator, Gothel."

"I know. I can tell how afraid you are to strike your dear Elsa. What would happen if she were no longer around? Your control on what's left of Arendelle would wither away." Gothel laughed, a piercing cackle. "You know in the back of your mind that she's what holds them together. They only follow you when she let's them. She is to you what you are to the prince. She's all that keeps you part of Arendelle. Just think what would happen if she found out you bear sole responsibility for the death of that fat oaf and his son. You'd be cast out, maybe even persecuted." 

Pitch only glared as Gothel circled him, her voice pitying. She scowled as she returned to her spot. "You reek of fear, Pitch Black."

"You reek of old age. Honestly, Gothel, have some pride."

Gothel smiled, but it was a bitter one. "You'll get your dues one day. I've seen the woman she's become. There is a dangerous ice in her heart. You must pray she never unleashes it on you. You must pray the Winter Spirit never needs her wishes."

Elsa watched Gothel leave with a satisfied smirk on her face. Elsa didn't believe in the Winter Spirit, she didn't believe in all the magic and fairytales Pitch indulged in. But right then, Elsa wished she did, if only to look Pitch in the eye and watch the colour drain from his face as she claimed that the Winter Spirit had listened to her. 

Once Pitch had left the alley too, Elsa made her way down. Her head had begun to spin. The bustling crowds blurred by. Their laughter echoed in her mind. Everything around her slowly started to make her feel dizzy. She thought she'd tripped over a stone or two, but she couldn't be sure. She might've just tripped over her own feet. 

All she knew was that she needed to find Anna. Anna first, then the rest of them. She knew she needed to do it before Pitch returned. 

She stumbled through the crowds, blindly bumping into people she didn't see until after. She apologised more times than she could count. 

Eventually, she broke into a circle of dancing. Anna was in the centre. Elsa paid no attention to the ring and they swarmed around her. The sounds of the festival rung in Elsa's head. She could barely hear herself think. 

"Els? Elsa!"

Elsa felt hers being held up by her sister. 

"Elsa, what happened to you?" Panic laced Anna's words. She couldn't remember a time when Elsa hadn't been the strong one. "Elsa, are you okay?"

"Pitch. . ."

"What? What happened?"

Elsa suddenly realised her vision had been blurred by unshed tears all along. She felt like she'd been run through with a blade. A blade that was now being twisted. 

"He killed them." 

"Who are you talking about? Where is he now?"

Elsa sank to the floor, dragging Anna down as well. She clutched Anna's hand tight, finding herself unable to get the right words out. By now, Emma had noticed and quickly got Ryder and Honeymaren's attention. They joined the sisters on the ground, all of them concerned and afraid. 

"Els, talk to me. What happened?"

"I heard him. With -- with Gothel. He killed them. They killed them."

"Who?" Ryder asked. 

"Chief. . . and Gobber and Hiccup and -- and -- where's Emma?"

"I'm here," Emma said, shifting so that she was in front of Elsa.

"And your brother."

Emma inhaled sharply. "And Genevieve?" she asked softly.

Elsa nodded.

The five of them were startled when a young woman knelt with them, her hands on Anna and Emma's backs. "You need to get out of the square. Come with me." 

"Who are you?" Ryder asked. 

The woman's emerald eyed narrowed. "Another who holds a grudge against Gothel. She's here in the city. Come on."

Elsa took her hand and pulled herself up. She thought she felt the air get colder, but she chalked it up to her nerves spiralling out of control. 

"Wait," Honeymaren said, "Valka. I'll get her."

* * *

Once Valka had been brought too, they followed the young woman back to the castle, keeping quiet until she'd locked them all in her chambers and drawn the curtains over locked windows. As she lit candles, Elsa explained what she'd overheard.

"Gothel said Pitch led them to their deaths. The raid was a lie, a distraction, so she could get to your brother, Emma, and you were right. Genevieve caught them."

"Gothel and Pitch both admitted to it?" Emma asked. 

"Pitch was evasive. Gothel was . . . she was proud."

The young woman scoffed, shaking the match to cool it before setting the blackened stick on the vanity desk.

"You're the princess of Corona," Honeymaren said, "right? Rapunzel, the lost princess." 

"What gave it away?" Rapunzel asked with a smile.

"The hair, mostly." 

Rapunzel laughed softly. "Yes, I am. Well, I'm not the lost princess any longer."

"Why did you bring us here?" Valka asked, voicing the question that had been on all their minds. 

"Gothel has hurt you. All of you. I can tell. She's hurt me, too. For years, I thought of her as a mother. For eighteen years, I thought she was the best."

"You were locked in a tower," Emma said, "wasn't it? Somewhere hidden in the forests south of the main city." 

"Spying on me, little noble?" Rapunzel asked with an amused glint in her eyes.

"Word spreads fast among those rich enough to gossip freely." 

"I like her," Rapunzel announced, gesturing to Emma. "The thing is, I don't think I have it in me to truly make Gothel pay for what she did to me -- to my parents. Yes, I'm brave and resourceful and intelligent and creative but. . ."

"But you're not hardened enough to take an eye for an eye," Elsa said, looking directly at Rapunzel for the first time. 

"I broke out of that tower because of my curiosity. Gothel hunted me down like prey. I managed to convince a tavern of thugs to hide me for three nights. When she went deeper into the forest to find me, I went to see the floating lights. The lanterns Corona lit to guide me home, had I survived that long. She found me in the waters. She tried to manipulate me further, take me back to her tower. But I'd seen and heard enough. I knew in my gut that those lanterns weren't lit coincidentally on my birthday. They were lit for me. She attacked me on the palace balcony. I tried to simply avoid her, let the guards do their jobs. But she persisted. I tripped her up, sending her down the side of a palace. We all thought she'd died. Guess we were wrong."

"Gothel killed my brother," Emma said, "or at least, she was indirectly involved. She killed my best friend, too. I'm willing to help you take your revenge."

"We all are," Elsa said, her hand on Emma's shoulder. "Gothel stole from us all. And so did Pitch. Princess, I don't know how deep you're willing to go, but we won't stop until both Gothel and Pitch had suffered greatly."

"I don't know who Pitch is, but anyone working with Gothel is bound to be pure evil."

"Then it's settled," Elsa said. She glanced at Valka, waiting for the small, subtle nod before continuing. "Welcome to Arendelle, Princess."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This eternal winter is taking forever to arrive but hey! At least the drama's started picking up!!


	8. Chapter 8

"GET _OUT_!" Elsa shrieked, hurling whatever was within reach at her hiding sister. "IT'S NOT EVEN DAWN YET!"

Anna peeked out of the wardrobe. "Emma wants to learn the wire."

Elsa sat up, blinking her bleary eyes at Anna. "I don't believe you."

"It's true!" Anna stepped out of the wardrobe, pushing it shut behind her. "And it's mid-morning. There's a freak snowstorm, so lots of heavy clouds blocking the sun. We asked Hans about it. He says they're rare, but they do happen. You should see Pitch, though. He looks like he's seen a ghost."

Elsa smiled. "I don't believe in all that Winter Spirit nonsense, but I must say, this is all lining up pretty conveniently."

"Rapunzel believes in the Winter Spirit," Anna said, taking a seat at the foot of Elsa's bed. 

"Rapunzel also believes her hair has magical healing powers, which is why it's so long. I'm not surprised she believes in the spirit. But the existence of the spirit doesn't matter. Pitch believes in it, so I'm going to milk this storm for all it's worth."

"Do it when we go down for breakfast together. I'm sure the others will want to see it. Speaking of breakfast, shall I ask Rapunzel if she'd like to join us?"

Elsa nodded. "One more pleasant face at the table can't hurt. She's no orphan, but I'm sure Chief would've still tried to take her in. She's got this . . . happiness radiating off her, like she's sunshine personified."

"Yeah, Ryder said just about the same thing. Well, breakfast will be in fifteen. Don't be late."

"Get out. I'm taking a ten-minute nap."

Anna laughed as she stood up. "Sweet dreams, Els."

* * *

Elsa pretended to shiver. "Does anyone else feel a little colder today?" she asked, rubbing her bare arms. Everyone at the table nodded or murmured agreement, save Pitch. Elsa turned to him. "With a freak storm like this, I might actually start believing in the Winter Spirit of yours." 

She said it with a light laugh, clearly indicating how amused she was with it, but if possible, Pitch's face lost even more colour. 

"I think the Winter Spirit is real," Rapunzel said, lightly tapping the wooden table with her nails. "And I think it's to blame for this storm. I mean, it's summer. I don't think I've heard of anywhere that snows in the summer months." 

"You haven't been anywhere except Corona," Ryder said. 

"You don't have to go somewhere to know things about it, Ry," Honeymaren pointed out, "pass me the marmalade, please."

Conversations increased at the table in quantity, volume and merriment, but Pitch remained with his ghostly complexion. It made Elsa smile.

She was not like the rest of Arendelle. She did not spring into action and brawl outright for what she wanted or for what was right, like a match suddenly lit and burning with energy. No, she was cool and calm. She danced over surfaces like frost, spreading like ice that slowly swallowed things up. She would not be a fire that burned her targets and victims. She would burn them with the ice in her eyes and on her tongue. 

Elsa had always been the calmer one, even when it had just been her and Anna. She often wondered if it was because, for a time, she'd had to be both of Anna's parents. She'd come to realise that it was who she was, though. Elsa loved the winter, and when winter swathed her like the softest silks, she would do as she had always done -- use the season to her advantage.

"So, Princess, tell me more about this Spirit thing."

"Oh, oh, oh, can I?" Emma asked, bouncing in her seat. "One of the castle servants showed me to the library a few days ago and they have this massive book on magic and spirits and things." 

Rapunzel smiled and gestured for Emma to continue. 

Emma leaned forward to speak to the entire table. "It is said that the Winter Spirit can intervene in a wrongful death if it so wishes, choosing to immortalize the innocent as spirit's physical form, kind of like a host for the spirit. The books says little about how the spirit and host work together but it does talk about the end -- specifically when the spirit releases the host. It can go either of two ways. One, the spirit releases the host to die a peaceful death moments later, or the spirit infuses the host with life enough to live out the rest of their now-mortal days per their choice."

"The spirit of the season of endings and death, infusing life?" Elsa hummed. "Well, it definitely sounds like a fairytale."

Emma nodded. "I like to imagine the Winter Spirit was there for my brother, that he's somewhere around, watching over me."

Elsa glanced to her side, thrilled to see Pitch attempt to clear his throat, only to have to reach for the glass of water that he quickly drained. Elsa didn't know if Emma truly believed in the spirit or not, but she wasn't about to question how well things were lining up.

"Do you think the spirit seeks revenge for the wrongful death?" Valka asked absently.

"Oh, I do," Rapunzel said, nodding, "I'm certain of it. I don't think the spirit is harsh and cold, even if outsiders see it as such. I believe the spirit is just and fair, firm and determined. I believe the spirit is kind to all but merciless to the unkind. The spirit might seem stoic and unyielding, but it can be reasoned with. I just don't think it would be an easy task to sway the spirit."

Elsa suddenly noticed that everyone was silent and looking at her. Though she loved the fear in Pitch's eyes, she was rather confused. "Why are you all looking at me?"

"Did you not hear a word the princess just said?" Anna asked. "Harsh and cold to the outside world? Just and fair, firm and determined? Kind to all and merciless to the unkind? Don't you see? It's _you_."

"She's right," Emma said, nodding. "If you hadn't spoken to me so soft and soothingly at the funeral, I think I'd be very afraid of you."

Elsa glanced around. "You all think the same?"

"We think you're strong and brave," Ryder said, "but we also see how hardened and protective you can be. You don't just mother us, Elsa, you lead us and you watch over us. You're kind and sweet to everyone, even if they're strangers, but no one has ever managed to even insult us and walk away unharmed, not a stranger, not a noble, not even a king."

Elsa suddenly recalled the day she'd threatened Hans' third eldest brother. They were right, she realised. Though it was really a revelation she wanted to silently ponder, she turned to Pitch. "What do you think? Am I the big scary Winter Spirit?" 

As conversation around the table resumed, Elsa took great pleasure in watching Pitch stand up and leave. He hadn't answered the question, supplying Elsa with even more to torment him with.

And she didn't feel the slightest bit guilty.

* * *

Contrary to the reassurance of nearly every Southern Isle citizen, the storm worsened. Two days after it had first begun to snow, the winds picked up. The streets were empty. Some guests gave up on the festival as the winds drifted in. They made it off the islands safely. Others now considered braving the winds to escape. There was talk of some Southern Isle citizens thinking of going on a holiday for a while. 

"Aren't you cold?"

Elsa stood up from the balcony she had been leaning against. "Aren't you?" she asked, smiling at Emma. 

Emma shook her head as she walked up to stand beside Elsa. "The winds raged worse the night my brother died."

"I remember," Elsa said, turning back to their hazy view of the city. "I'd walked the wire that night. It was perfect. The clouds were thick and the storms were wild. If anyone were insane enough to be out, they wouldn't see me crossing seemingly thin air."

"What was your brother like?" 

Elsa smiled at the fond memories that flooded her mind. "He was the bravest man I ever knew, more so that his father. He'd always been a bit of a twig growing up, but with all the physical work it took to rob the rich, he'd started to build muscle. Still, I always called him any kind of nickname I could that would pick on his height. It helped that I was still a few centimeters taller. He loved Anna's pies. He's the reason she started baking them. When it was his birthday, he would forgo cake in favour of a pie. He was an idiot, but I loved him nonetheless. He was my little brother. I'd look out for him even after he'd pissed me off. He did the same for me, for the rest of us." 

Emma watched Elsa as she sighed and went back to leaning down on the balcony. 

"He loved us with all his heart. He never accused us of stealing Chief's attention from him -- well, not with anything substantial behind it. He always said he'd die for any of us. I always told him to stop saying things like that, that one day he might have to." 

"Don't blame yourself, Elsa. Not for that. You didn't curse him and you didn't condemn him." 

Elsa glanced at Emma. "How did you know. . .?"

Emma smiled. "It's funny how I feel worse about Genevieve than I do about my brother. Perhaps it was because my brother was always so much older than me, an adult in my eyes, and Gen . . . I thought of her as my little sister. Someone for me to protect and look after the way I was. She'd gone to get leftovers for us to share in the middle of the night. When she didn't return, I went to seek her out. We -- I found her body. Father followed the slight trail of her blood, hoping to find whoever was responsible. Instead, he found my brother's body under a thin sheet of new ice."

"An early death for a soul too pure."

"What's that?"

Elsa sighed, watching the wind steal someone's scarf. " _An early death for a soul too pure, a soul too pure to suffer on this earth. An early death for the one too gentle, too gentle for the pain of no worth_. Amélie Cartier, Corona poet. It's called Mercy, I think."

"I like it." 

"I'm sure Princess Rapunzel will know of her if you want more. I doubt there's a single Coronan who doesn't."

"How do you know her?"

"My mother loved her poems," Elsa said, a distant look in her eyes and a warm smile on her lips. "I don't have many memories of her, but she almost always quoted Amélie Cartier poems. It would've be odd if I _didn't_ know a few lines here and there. But besides that, a few months after Chief took Anna and I in, he took me to a library and he taught me to read from a book filled with poetry. We only looked at the ones written by Amélie Cartier. Hiccup thought they were silly because they didn't talk about sailing or dragons. He was obsessed with those. Chief and I both tried using the book to teach Anna to read years later, but she thought they were silly because the ones simple enough to read didn't talk about mountains or sword-fights or tiaras. She still daydreams about getting into tense fights while posing as a princess."

Emma smiled. She absently leaned her head on Elsa's shoulder. "Thank you for coming to get me. Arendelle is a family unlike anything I've ever known."

Elsa smiled at the top of Emma's head before resting her cheek atop Emma's chocolate locks. Together, they watched the winds pick up even further, decorating the night sky with snowflakes between the stars. 


	9. Chapter 9

It was official. They were stranded. Visitors and citizens alike were locked on their islands. Anyone who managed to get out before the waters froze over had narrowly missed being trapped on the island, though it was a concern that they might be trapped out in the middle of frozen waters. 

"Are you certain you don't want a blanket?" 

Elsa nodded as she wrapped the blanket Rapunzel handed her over Ryder's shoulders. "I'll be fine, Princess. I can handle a little snow."

"She's right," Anna muttered from somewhere in between her own blanket burrito. The burrito wiggled for a moment until Anna's face appeared. "For like, the past two and a half or so years, she's steadily been getting less and less affected by cold weather. She'd probably try to go outside looking like that."

Elsa glanced down at her clothes. "It's cute," she said, defending the violet dress.

"It's thinner than my patience with the storm," Honeymaren snapped. 

Elsa laughed and picked up a steaming mug. "Try this," she said, handing the mug to Honeymaren. "It should warm you up nicely." 

"I wonder what my parents think happened," Rapunzel murmured, glancing to the windows. The crackling of the firewood paused briefly as everyone glanced to the windows -- as if they might see the king and queen of Corona watching them. 

"I kind of want to jump in the fire," Emma said, turning her gaze back to the flames. "I feel like I'll be warmer there."

"Oh, you'll be warmer all right," Ryder snorted. 

Pitch, who had reluctantly accepted a blanket when the cold grew too much for him, scoffed from his corner. The increasing snowstorms had done nothing but agitate him further and further, until he'd stopped appearing for meals and only speaking if absolutely necessary. 

The arrangement suited the rest of them fine. They found it hard to look at Pitch and act as if they had no idea what he had done to their family. But they did it, for Elsa. They did it because they knew Elsa would carve Pitch's heart from his chest and rip it in two with no mercy. They put up their perfect acts because they knew Elsa was slowly driving him to insanity.

Elsa sighed as she stood up from helping Anna untangle herself to drink her hot cocoa properly. "I personally like the weather. I think I've been out in the sun too long. It's almost like your fairytale spirit's been listening to me."

Rapunzel, who really did believe in the Winter Spirit, smiled and shook her head. The rest of them let out various sounds of amusement, ranging from a snort to a chuckle to a short laugh. Pitch forced his expression to remain neutral.

"You've been silent for far too long," Elsa said, thoroughly enjoying herself, "has the mysterious spirit frozen your lips shut?" 

"I think you're insane," Honeymaren said.

Rapunzel smiled at her. "Shall I send for another blanket, Honey? I heard there are old and dusty ones stored away." 

"What about the people?"

At Anna's soft question, they all turned to see her still looking at the frosted windows. 

"Are they warm enough? Do they even have food? Unfrozen water? Fires? What's the king been doing besides sitting on his fat arse in front of a fire? Proper rulers aren't like that. I -- he'd just let them freeze?"

Elsa and Rapunzel shared a glance. 

"Anna, what can we do? We're not princes and princesses of the Southern Isles."

Anna looked at the three blankets she was huddled under. "We have a fireplace and enough firewood to last nearly a decade."

Elsa held her sister's gaze for a long moment of silence. "All right. I'll deliver the blankets. You--"

"Alone?!" The cry came from all sides of Elsa. 

"Well, yes. Winter is _my_ season, you all know that. I've braved worse for less. You know I can handle myself out there."

"And we can't?" Ryder snapped, mildly miffed that Elsa was thinking of braving the storms alone. 

"Ry, I appreciate the gesture, I really do. But look at yourselves, wrapped up in blankets in front of the fireplace. You wouldn't last two minutes out in the storm."

"And you will?" Honeymaren asked. 

"I'll dress properly."

"I'll join you," Emma said, "Burgess winters are said to be one the harshest out there. I've survived them all rather well."

"I will, too," Valka said, nodding firmly. It was rare that she gave Elsa no room to argue, but when it happened, Elsa didn't try. She simply nodded in agreement.

"I'll speak to the king about gathering more blankets and a means to carry them through the city," Rapunzel said. She turned to Anna. "I'm afraid we can't send help to the surrounding Isles. There's no way to cross the waters and know which direction to turn."

"We help as many as we can," Anna said, standing up and beginning to fold her first blanket. "It's better than not doing anything.

"Here," Elsa said, taking the blanket. "Go and get your winter gear. Fetch mine for Emma."

"I'll be fine," Emma said, "I've still got plenty warm clothes." 

Elsa nodded. "For the princess, then."

Rapunzel started to argue but quickly realised it was useless when Elsa had already moved further in her planning as she folded the blanket.

"We'll head straight to the lower town and work our way back from there. The poorest are at the edge of the city, near the docks. The closer to the palace, the richer they are, the more likely they are to have blankets of their own. Pitch, speak to Westergard about opening the gates for us. Even if the princess and I don't get help from the king, we're still going out to help. Anna, if we don't get help, you'll lead Honey and Ry on a small raid, okay?"

Anna nodded. 

"Right, go get your warmest clothes, Emma. Princess, find your sweetest smile. Pitch, I believe the prince is at his chambers this time of the day. The rest of you go get changed into your Winter gear." 

Pitch scowled. She was doing it again. Taking controls if _she_ led Arendelle. With a scoff, he left the room. Elsa glanced at Rapunzel and nodded her head to the doors. 

* * *

"The cold really doesn't bother you?" Rapunzel asked as they walked the hallways slowly.

The heated scowl on Elsa's face lifted. "Not as much as it should, anyway."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Elsa. We did what we could. It's not your fault the king's so. . ."

"Stupid," Elsa decided. "And that's rich, coming from you. Even I can tell how much our failure is bugging you."

Rapunzel smiled. "Escaping Gothel was probably the first serious thing I'd ever done in my life. After that, I suddenly had to get adjusted to being a princess. There were all these rules to memorise and customs to learn. I still can't keep up with some of them, even six years later." 

"Six years . . . Gothel went after Emma's brother the same year you escaped her?" 

"She's got this obsession with eternal youth and beauty. When I left, she started slipping. She turned to the darkest of magic."

"Right. Magic."

"You'll see magic one day, Elsa," Rapunzel said with a smile, "when you're ready for it. But trust me, once you see it, you won't see anything other than it."

"Let's assume magic is real. What kind of . . . _dark magic_ is Gothel after, then?"

"The kind that picks at your soul until you're barely human. Even I'm not certain magic like that is real. She believes in taking lives to gain life. I believe that's why she targeted Emma's brother. I hear he was a sight for sore eyes. Gothel will only target young, beautiful people. For youth and beauty, of course." Rapunzel paused thoughtfully. "I'd tell you to be wary of her, but I believe the spirit has an eye on you. You should warn Ryder, though. He's quite an adorable little boy."

"He's not that little." 

"Little enough for Gothel. You said she claimed to have killed a nine-year-old girl. What's stopping her from targeting someone ten years older?"

"I suppose you're right," Elsa murmured. Whether she believed in magic or not was of no consequence. Gothel did, and it was Gothel that would act on those beliefs. Elsa's faith in magic mattered nought, she just had to protect her family from those who believed in the evilest of magic.

* * *

"Stay close to the building," Elsa said, "it'll block the wind. And keep a firm grip on that cart. We're almost out of blankets, then we'll get you seated in front of a warm fire, okay?"

Emma nodded, her teeth chattering too much for her to speak properly. 

"Stay with her," Elsa told Valka, picking up three of the remaining five blankets and pounding on the door to be heard over the wind. 

"We haven't got anything!" a man cried from inside. 

"I'm here to give, not take!" 

A moment later, the door opened slightly. 

"How many in your home?" Elsa asked. 

"Two," the elderly man answered hesitantly. 

Elsa pulled one blanket off and held out the other two. "Take them." 

"You're not from here, are you?" 

"We're guests. If the guards ask you where you got these blankets, tell them the young prince sent them."

The man looked behind Elsa. "But he hasn't."

"It's the only way to ensure the king does not seize them for himself."

The man hugged the blankets to his chest. "And your name, child?"

"Elsa . . . Elsa of Arendelle."

"Arendelle. . . sounds so familiar."

Elsa hugged the remaining blanket to her own chest. "Take care, sir. If the blankets aren't warm enough, I suggest starting a bonfire of the palace."

He smiled. "You take care too, Elsa . . . of Arendelle."

Elsa turned and skipped down the three steps, nodding for Emma and Valka to follow.

"You know, looking at you is making me cold," Emma grumbled. 

"Then don't look," Elsa said, a teasing smile on her lips. "Come on, I think this will be our last stop." 

Handing out the last three blankets went the same as all the others had done. Finally, they began their trek back to the palace.

"I say we go in search of the Winter Spirit and make him end this winter," Emma muttered. "I'm sick of the cold and I'm sick of the Southern Isle princes."

"I think I might agree," Valka said. "This is getting out of hand. No storm I've ever seen has raged like this for so long." 

"True and true, but you're forgetting the minor detail that there is no such thing as magic and there is no Winter Spirit."

"You don't know that," Emma huffed, "just because you've never seen it, doesn't mean it's not real. Rapunzel believes in it so fiercely."

"She has seventy feet of hair. I'm not sure I can fully trust her state of mind."

"What if her hair is really magic?"

"The day she shows me the magic in her hair is the day I'll start to believe in the Winter Spirit. For now, we just keep warm in the palace."

"We should take over the Southern Isles. You'd make a better monarch than any of the Westergard brothers."

"I admire your faith in me, Emma, but I don't want to be a queen. Come on, help me with the gates."

* * *

"We're going to hunt the Winter Spirit down," Anna informed Elsa as soon as she returned to the drawing-room where she'd left half of Arendelle. 

"What? No, no--"

"We've done research and -- and -- and I'm going! I'm not sitting here, freezing my butt off, never knowing if or when this storm is going to end."

Elsa's jaw dropped. "There is no Winter Spirit!" 

"There has to be! We've travelled the world and we've never seen anything like this. Elsa, this isn't a freak snowstorm. This is a curse. Tell me you don't see that. How can you witness all that you have and still deny that there is a spirit out there somewhere with a watchful gaze on you?"

"Anna, you're being unreasonable. Even if there is a Winter Spirit, there's no reason for it to watch over a single individual. I'm sorry, but it's not even plausible."

Anna stepped closer to Elsa. Her pleading tone was quickly replaced with the same hard tone Elsa used to deny authorities. She pushed Elsa back through the doorway and shut the door, separating them from the rest. "You said Gothel warned Pitch about the spirit and about you. That Pitch better pray the spirit doesn't listen to you. This storm is tearing the isle apart. People on the surrounding Isles are dying of the cold. You aren't even cold. Elsa, how are you so firm in your belief that something is watching over you, listening to you, protecting you, like some kind of guardian?"

"If there's a spirit watching over me," Elsa said softly, "why did it let the world take my parents from me? Why did it let the world turn me into a savage to look after you before we finally found a home? Why did it let Gothel and Pitch into my life? To take my brother, father and uncle in the same night? Why? What kind of guardian let's all of that happen?" 

Anna sighed. "Have you considered that the spirit hasn't been watching you _all_ your life? Ever since our second-to-last visit to Burgess, nothing bad has happened to you. Think about it, Els. How many times did you walk the wire in the last two years? How many times have you slipped or even shivered? Your winter gear ripped right through once and you carried on without even stopping. You didn't even notice. That's not normal, you know that."

And Elsa really did think about it. She thought about what had happened since that visit that would provide her with a logical explanation to all Anna's claims. All that came to mind was the kidnap of the man they'd thought to be the Overland heir. Jack Frost. She shook her head. 'We'll talk about this tomorrow night. We've still got to talk about what we're doing with Gothel and Pitch."

Anna sighed and took hold of thr door handle. "I'm going to look for thr Winter Spirit, Elsa. I'd really like for you to come with me." 

"You are not going anywhere without permission, Anna. Do you understand me?"

Anna did not respond 

"The storm is incredibly dangerous. Promise me you won't leave this castle without my permission."

"I can't do that," Anna said shaking her head. "I'm sorry." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I tagged a lot of characters that aren't in the story, but they'll be here soon, I promise.
> 
> In other news THE PLOT IS FINALLY MOVING FORWARD


	10. Chapter 10

Elsa studied her reflection as she braided her hair. Jack Frost. For months, she'd wondered what sort of name that was before coming to the conclusion that it was a false name. She was beginning to doubt herself now, though. Despite her best efforts not to, Elsa could see the sense in what Anna had told her the night before. 

And it terrified her. Elsa liked to be in control of things, not because she wanted to be a leader, but because that way, she could determine the outcome and the consequences. She would know what to expect. To believe in things like magic did not sit well with the need to keep both hands on the reigns. Magic was unpredictable -- the outcome wasn't always guaranteed. Elsa didn't like the uneasiness that washed over her at the mere thought of _considering_ the existence of magic. 

She tied the end of the braid off and leaned on the vanity. What would really be the harm in being pleasantly now and then? What was the harm in believing in fairytales? Elsa shook her head. She was allowing herself to get distracted. She didn't believe in them because they weren't real. Magic was unreliable and unstable -- if it even existed. Elsa would not continue slipping into this childlike dream. She lived in the real world, and in the real world, things didn't come easy with shortcuts like magic. 

Elsa barely flinched when the door to her chambers was thrown open hard enough to bang on the wall. She looked at Rapunzel in the mirror. "Really, princess, that's a bit r--"

"Anna's missing," Rapunzel cut in, bits of her hair escaping her thick braid. "The others are searching the castle. We--"

Elsa, who had stood up and already made her way to the door, glanced down at Rapunzel's warm attire. "You're coming with me?"

Rapunzel nodded. "I feel partly to blame, always talking about the Winter Spirit. Besides, two pairs of eyes in the storm is better than one."

"Good. Let's go."

* * *

Braving the storm was harder the second time. The winds were harsher and louder, and the land and frozen waters were now nearly indistinguishable. A quick glance through house windows showed that the lower town had fled. Elsa hoped they'd found refuge in the inner city.

"Wait!" Rapunzel grabbed Elsa's arm before she stepped out on the waters of the docks. "Are you sure the ice is thick enough?"

"No, but Anna could be out there."

"We can't lose you in the storm too, Elsa. The rest of them need you to go back with Anna."

Elsa glared at Rapunzel. "How _dare_ you--"

"I'm not saying we're not going after her," Rapunzel said, swiping the dagger Elsa was sure she'd hidden in her belt and cut the ribbons holding her hair together. "I'm just saying I'm not letting _you_ get lost out there with her."

"This is weird," Elsa said, watching Rapunzel tie the end of a lock of golden hair around Elsa's wrist with half a ribbon.

"It's that or risk getting lost."

Elsa shrugged and kept silent until Rapunzel was done. "Good to go?"

"There's seventy feet of hair between us. Try not to go further from me than that."

With a firm nod, Elsa set off. Rapunzel headed out on the ice too, the pair of them walking at slight angles to each other. Both called out Anna's name.

Elsa turned helplessly, making certain not to get tangled in Rapunzel's hair. Faintly, she could hear the princess calling out for Anna, her voice carried on the wind. The small fact eased Elsa a little. If Anna were out in the storm, she would hear them too. She'd spent years training herself to see through storms of all kinds, but this was too much. 

_This isn't a freak snowstorm. This is a curse._

Elsa's hope began to deflate even faster when she and Rapunzel met again somewhere on the ocean, both still alone. 

"Panicking will get us nowhere," Rapunzel said before Elsa could start. "We'll find her. We just need to keep--"

A short scream echoed on the winds. An unknown voice shouted, "ANNA!"

They didn't even need to glance at one another before both Elsa and Rapunzel took off in the direction of the cry. 

_If there really is a Winter Spirit, help me find my sister._

The winds changed direction, pushing them off their feet. They held firm and carried on. The winds pushed harder. Rapunzel glanced in the direction her hair went. "Elsa, look!" 

Though the winds were still harsh and biting, the snow had lifted somewhat, allowing them a clear picture of someone diving into the ice beside a wrecked ship. They changed direction as well, half running, half being blown by the wind. They reached the cracks in the ice in time to see a stranger come up for air before diving back down. 

Rapunzel grabbed Elsa's arm. "Whoever he is, he certainly knows Anna. I'm certain he'll bring her up." 

Elsa leaned forward, peering into the black waters. "He's not going to make it. She'll be weighing him down with her gear. I know she was smart enough to wear it."

Rapunzel hesitated. "Wait." 

Elsa watched as Rapunzel grabbed the lock of hair attached to Elsa and wound it around the splintered mast of the ship. 

"Two sharp tugs and I'll start pulling."

"Maybe all that hair does serve some good purpose," Elsa joked, getting rid of her extra layers before diving in. 

The waters were just as dark below as they were above. She almost screamed when the lock of hair around her wrist began to glow. 

_Hallucinations_ , she told herself, using the light anyway. She swam further, her arm in front of her to light the way. When she laid eyes on the pair, she put all her energy into reaching them before Rapunzel's hair ran out. She looped her arm around Anna's waist and pinched the stranger's hand, startling him back to consciousness. They hurried to reach the surface before he slipped unconscious again, but Anna was both dead weight and laden with her gear. Elsa suddenly remembered the waiting princess and quickly detached the hair from her wrist, tying it to Anna's and sharply yanked at the lock twice.

With Anna floating upwards, Elsa put her arms around Anna's rescuer and pulled him towards the surface. 

Coughing and gasping for air, Elsa waited until Rapunzel had pulled the stranger from the water before climbing up herself. 

"Is he all right?"

"He'll be fine, he didn't take in any water -- surprisingly." 

Rapunzel removed her jacket and pulled it over his shoulders, wincing as he shivered. At least he was alive and, for the most part, unharmed.

Elsa, who had been trying her best to revive Anna, rounded on Rapunzel. "Show me your magic healing powers or whatever. Now. You led her here, the least you can do is fix her!" 

"Elsa, healing magic isn't for --"

"I'm not asking, princess. I'm telling you to show me this magic you claim you have."

Rapunzel stared at Elsa as the wind whipped her wet hair around. If she stared hard enough, she could pick out droplets that had turned to ice already. "Elsa--"

"FIX HER, OR I'LL DROWN YOU."

Rapunzel knew Elsa was only riled up because Anna's life was at stake, but she couldn't help the rising fear. She'd always heard them talk about Elsa's bad side, but she hadn't seen it until she saw flames in the eyes of a woman who loved winter. 

Hoping for the best, Rapunzel laid her hair over the unmoving young woman and with a soft and sweet voice that the wind carried instead of drowning out, she began to sing.

" _Flower, gleam and glow_  
 _Let your power shine_."

Elsa shuffled back when Rapunzel's hair began to glow as it had done underwater. She clenched her fists tight, a mantra on her mind. _Save my sister, save my sister, save my sister. . ._

" _Make the clock reverse_  
 _Bring back what once was mine_."

Elsa watched the magic weave between the individual strands of golden locks. She couldn't lose Anna. She'd already lost too many people. To lose Anna would shatter her beyond repair. She would never be whole again.

" _Heal what has been hurt_  
 _Change the Fates' design_  
 _Save what has been lost_  
 _Bring back what once was mine_."

Elsa leaned forward, her breath coming in short and sharp bursts. Anna still had not moved, but the magic in Rapunzel's hair had not faded yet. She shivered, but it wasn't from the cold. _Please wake up._

" _What once was mine_."

Quicker than it had begun, the golden light left Rapunzel's hair. The wind picked it up again, exposing Anna's rosy cheeks. Gathering her sister into her arms and wrapping her up in the pale blue, discarded jacket before the cold got back into Anna, Elsa gave Rapunzel a determined look. "We're going to hunt the Winter Spirit down."

* * *

Elsa set a cup on the nightstand. "Any changes?" she asked softly.

Rapunzel jerked alert, rubbing her eyes calmly once she realised it was Elsa standing over her. "Anna's stopped shivering. She looks better, too. More of that 'rosy cheeks' than 'statue of ice' she had when we brought her back."

"And the other one?" Elsa asked, nodding her head to the bed on the other side of the room.

"I think he's just exhausted. Normal people don't usually do well with frozen waters." Rapunzel yawned and stretched. "What did the others say about your plan?"

Elsa sat on the edge of the bed, brushing Anna's bangs from her eyes. "As expected. Several arguments, but they'll come around. They have to. I'm not giving them the choice."

Rapunzel nodded and reached for the cup Elsa had brought. She sniffed lightly. "Mm, honey tea?"

"With a little lemon too."

"My favourite," Rapunzel murmured, closing her eyes and enjoying the taste.

Elsa smiled slightly. "You know, princess, you don't have to come with us."

"Are you kidding? Adventure is who I am! Besides that, I feel like I owe it to Anna. She went out there because of my faith in magic and the Winter Spirit, because of how I talked about it. If she's going in search of it, I feel obliged to tag along. But enough about me. How did they respond to you letting Emma join us -- she _is_ coming, right?"

"She said yes as soon as I mentioned it. Ryder's furious. I know they all want to come with, but Honey's always been weak in colder weather. It's why we've never let her do any raids in winter. And I can't leave Honey alone with Pitch. She and Ryder are closest anyway. Kind of like Anna and I."

"What did Valka have to say?"

"Nothing, but she gave me the most heated glare I've ever felt."

"It makes sense to leave Valka behind for Honeymaren, though. You're both incredibly motherly and if you're not around, she has to be. I don't think any of them would be able to function without _both_ of you."

Elsa smiled. "I told Ryder he can really the royal guard to kick Pitch's ass if something happened while we're away. It's a pacifying thought for him for now."

Rapunzel laughed softly. "If you told me that about Gothel, I'd probably find it pretty pacifying too."

With a relaxed sigh, Elsa leaned against the headboard. "So, magic is real after all." 

"You're taking this a lot better than I expected," Rapunzel confessed, slouching in her chair to find more conform. 

"Why, what did you expect?"

"Raging denial," Rapunzel said with a grin.

"Believe me, I considered it. But with the circumstances . . . you claimed you had magic hair and I needed a miracle for Anna. It was a now or never kind of thing. If I'd later found out you were telling the truth about magic, I would have hated you for not trying to save Anna."

"I didn't think I'd be able to," Rapunzel said softly, casting a glance at the sleeping woman. "I really thought she was gone. I'm kind of glad you're terrifying when you're mad."

Elsa chuckled. "You should see me furious."

"Oh, was that not it?" 

A sleepy groan from Anna startled the women out of their amusement. Both were suddenly alert, hovering unsurely. 

"Did we find the spirit?" Anna murmured sleepily. 

"Oh, thank God," Elsa said, letting out a heavy sigh of relief. "She's awake."

"Elsa?"

"I'm here, Anna. How do you feel?"

"Ridiculously cold."

Rapunzel laughed. "Oh, she's fine."

Scrunching up her face, Anna forced her eyes open. "This is still the Southern Isles palace."

"Yes, it is. You didn't get that far out, Anna. You slipped through a crack in the ice. You -- you almost died. What were you thinking, going out alone?"

"I wasn't alone," Anna scoffed, pushing herself up to sit against the headboard. Her eyes widened. "Wait, where is he? What happened? He didn't drown, did he?"

"He's fine, too!" Rapunzel said quickly, pointing to the snoring man. 

"Getting help from strangers for things as dangerous as this is not helping my fried nerves, Anna."

"He was willing to help me hunt down the Winter Spirit."

"No, he just wanted Mom's locket," Elsa said, pulling the locket from the nightstand and tying it around Anna's neck. "We found it falling from his pocket. Though, I have to admit, he did dive in after you when you went under. We'd be worried about him if it hadn't been only half a day since you went under."

Anna sighed and drew her knees up to her chin. "I just want to leave the Isles, Elsa. I hate it here. I want Arendelle to be out travelling again. I want us to go back to what we were. But this storm. . ."

Elsa glanced at Rapunzel, who nodded for her to continue. "Anna, I've decided. . ."

"I know, we're--"

"We're going to hint the spirit down."

"Wait, what?"

Elsa nodded. "Yes. The three of us and Emma. If your thieving friend over there wishes to join us when he wakes, we'll let him tag along too."

Anna tilted her head. "What changed?"

Elsa squeezed her in a hug. "I can't risk losing my baby sister again. We'll go after the spirit but we do it together."

"Promise?"

Elsa nodded. "Together. Now, go get dressed properly and come back down to the drawing room, everyone's waiting on edge for you." 

Anna nodded and jumped out of the bed with a spring in her step that both Elsa and Rapunzel were surprised to see. 

"Oh, his name is Flynn Ryder," Anna said, "just in case he wakes while I'm gone."

"Sounds familiar," Elsa murmured to herself, frowning slightly, as Anna left. "How much longer do you think he's going to sleep?" 

Rapunzel scoffed. "All day if we'd let him, probably." 

"Time to wake up then," Elsa said, walking to the window. "Just hide under a blanket for five seconds." 

Rapunzel did as she was told, watching Elsa open the window and scoop up some of the snow that had collected on the windowsill.

"Oh, Elsa, that is _evil_."

"He tried to steal my mother's locket!"

"But . . . Arendelle is full of thieves too?" Rapunzel frowned and scrunched up her nose, highly confused.

"Yeah, but it's an unspoken rule that you don't steal from other thieves unless you have a rivalry."

"I highly doubt the existence of that rule." 

"Doesn't matter, he tried to steal my mother's locket. It's incredibly special to Anna." 

"I still think this is evil," Rapunzel said, watching Elsa stand a good distance from her victim and hurl the snowball. 

He leapt from the bed with a yelp and tripped over the blanket he'd quickly gotten tangled in. While Elsa laughed heartily, Rapunzel fought a grin. She didn't want to laugh at him but she had to admit, the spectacle was rather amusing. Discarding the blanket, she walked up to him and tried to calm him down before making sure that he was, if fact, perfectly all right.

Once again composed, Elsa joined them and stared up at him. "Anna says you're Flynn Rider."

"I am. And who are you?"

Elsa ignored the question. She squinted. "Why do I feel like I've met you somewhere before?"

"I don't know, but I'm pretty sure we _have_ met somewhere."

Rapunzel also stared at him. "You know, he _does_ look familiar," she murmured under her breath.

As one, the three of them said in unison, "Corona dungeons."

He turned to Rapunzel, seemingly noticing her for the first time. "Oh, hey, Blondie." 

"Eugene."

"Wait, wait, Eugene? Princess, do you know him?"

"Wait, _princess_?"

"I think we ought to sit down and talk about this," Rapunzel said, holding her arms out to either of them like a referee between two furious sportsmen. "Why don't you go first, Eugene?"

"I don't want--"

Elsa was mildly surprised at how quickly he shut up following a soft glare from Rapunzel. 

" _Fine_. Thanks to Blondie, here, you now know my real name is Eugene."

"Eugene what?" Rapunzel prompted. 

"Fitzherbert," he said, exasperated. "Blondie and I met in the dungeons about a year after you and I met. We helped each other out of the dungeons and then went our separate ways. Your turn, _princess_."

"I snuck into the palace via the dungeons," Rapunzel said, "it was the easiest way to quickly meet my, um, my parents."

Flynn Rider, or rather, Eugene Fitzherbert, stared at Rapunzel. "You lying con. You said you were escaping a witch."

"And I was! I mean, I actually still am. I just . . . thought you'd figured it all out so it didn't need saying."

"I'm impressed, Blondie, I didn't think you were anything other than a dirty crook."

Rapunzel smiled. "Elsa?"

"What's to tell? We met in the dungeons, like he said, a year before you returned to Corona. I got out, he didn't." 

"What did you get _in_ for?" Rapunzel asked curiously.

"Trying to steal that," Elsa and Eugene said, both pointing to Rapunzel's crown on the nightstand. 

"Actually," Elsa continued, " _I_ wanted to retrest. Hot-shot over here wanted to take it anyway. He's the reason we got caught."

Rapunzel frowned. "I thought you said you met in the dungeons."

"Listen, you snuck into the palace the same way, okay. And anyway, the only reason I didn't break out was because my mere presence annoyed the absolute hell out of Blondie's dear Captain of the Guard. We have a long-standing rivalry."

Elsa raised an eyebrow. "You were too lazy, weren't you?"

"Oh, yes. Absolutely."

Elsa nodded. "Right. Well, we're going to actually go in search of the Winter Spirit. As a favour to my sister, I'm offering you the chance to join us. But! Before you say anything, I want you to know that my mother's locket is out of bounds. If you try to steal it again, I'll drown you." 

"I'd listen to her, Eugene."

"What makes either of you think I _want_ to hunt a fairytale?"

"It'll be fun!" Rapunzel said, grinning.

"It'll be ice cold."

"He has a point," Elsa said, nodding, "none of you can survive this storm without multiple layers of insulation. We'll probably be crossing the sea and climbing mountains. It's definitely going to be ice cold out there."

"What, and you can?" Eugene scoffed. 

"We'll leave tomorrow morning. Let us know by tonight or we won't be making provision for you."

Rapunzel and Eugene watched Elsa leave, closing the door behind her. 

"Is she always like that? She was fun and a little carefree when we tried to steal the crown."

"I wouldn't know, Eugene, I only met her a few days ago. And my crown?" Rapunzel asked, frowning at him as she hit him lightly with a twisted lock of hair. "What were you even going to do with it?"

"Uh, sell it? Duh."

"I only helped you break out because you were helping me break in. Don't take my crown or I'll personally present you to Cap with your hands tied behind your back and one of your ugly wanted posters nailed to your forehead."

Eugene grimaced. "Do you hate me that much, _princess_?"

"And don't call me princess. Listen, _really_ let me know by tonight if you'll be joining us because Elsa's a woman of her word. I can tell. If she says she won't make provision for you, she won't. I think you should tag along, though. It'll be fun and we could use one more person who knows their way on the waters -- even if they're frozen."

"I'll think about it," Eugene said, a little hesitant. 

Rapunzel smiled. "Come on, it's a bit late for lunch, but I'm sure you're hungry."

At the mention of food, Eugene didn't hesitate a bit to follow Rapunzel, taking care not to step on her blonde locks. 


	11. Chapter 11

"I like Valka," Eugene said decidedly, walking between Rapunzel and Emma. "Hey, Blondie, did Valka give _you_ an extra jacket?"

Rapunzel sighed. "Part of me wishes the wind's volume would just go back up," she mumbled, making Emma smile slightly. 

Up in front, Anna glanced at Elsa. "You're not thinking of letting Arendelle grow by two more, are you?"

"The princess, maybe. The idiot walking next to her, not at all. Never. Would not even consider it."

Anna grinned. "Wow, what did he do to you?"

"Do you remember when we went to Corona about seven or eight years ago? And Chief said he and Valka were going to go get us some supplies to make the rest of the journey?" 

"Yeah. And he told Pitch to watch over us and you took off specifically because Pitch told you to stay put. Where did you go?"

"The castle. I tried to get in via the dungeons, but Mr Fancy-pants over there had the same idea. We were both after the crown, but for different reasons. We got caught right next to the crown and then it was jail time for the both of us. I got out in an hour or so. He . . . didn't."

"What did you want with the crown? Because we all know that you don't steal in Corona and ever since Chief died, we've only ever visited Corona for small little holidays."

Elsa hesitated. Then she sighed. "I dreamt about it. There was just something about the crown, something so . . . so familiar. I thought maybe if I saw it myself, maybe even held it, I'd remember it from somewhere, which might have explained why I dreamt of it."

"Did you?" Anna asked softly, getting a small shake of the head from Elsa. "Oh, well. At least you had a fun time. I know you love breaking in and out of places."

"It _was_ fun," Elsa admitted, smiling. 

When the reached the end of the docks, Anna grabbed Elsa's hand, suddenly remembering the moment when she had fallen through the ice. 

"You'll be okay," Elsa said, "we're all with you this time. The good news is that if you do fall in again, we know I can take the water's temperature and the princess's hair is ridiculously strong." 

"Not funny," Anna grumbled, jabbing her elbow into Elsa's arm. But she smiled nonetheless. "Do we even know where we're going?" 

Emma left Eugene to annoy Rapunzel and stepped up on Elsa's other side. "There are old stories that just say the spirit resides in the north. Those are just the old fables, I believe. Newer stories talk about an abandoned kingdom north of the Southern Isles. They all talk about the kingdom being abandoned by the reigning monarchs about twenty years ago, and the land being plunged into an eternal winter. They say that's where the spirit resides. I don't know how true it all is, but I say we head north towards the kingdom."

"Do they mention the kingdom's name?" Rapunzel asked, peering down at the ice before them. Elsa glanced back to see Eugene muttering to himself.

Emma shook her head. "You'd think there would be, given how relatively recent the events are. But there's nothing. Some stories from the older people mention that kingdom always seemed to have a magical aura or some kind of ethereal presence. Most of the newer stories discard that, though."

"How old are these stories?" Anna asked, "do you know?"

"They definitely can't be older than twenty, given that the furthest date for the abandonment is twenty years. The pages definitely aren't new, either. These books have been left in the library for well over ten years, maybe fifteen. So, for the sake of a wide range, I'd put it between twelve and twenty years old."

"Is she -- are you some kind of historian?" Rapunzel asked. 

Emma smiled. "Just a history buff. Though, I suppose if you actively dedicate at least five years of your life to unravelling old myths and historical events, you tend to pick up a few tricks of the trade."

"Impressive," Rapunzel said, nodding appreciatively. She turned and looked out into the light mist. She could see the ship near the spot Anna had fallen in, but further than that was just the hazy mist. "How do we know which way is North? Does someone have a compass?"

"I do," Anna said, "hang on."

Elsa turned to the white expanse. "Do we even know if we'll find anything more than ruins?"

"I've looked through all the maps I could find. Some are too old to even have the Southern Isles on them. The ones that do have the kingdom on it have its name blotted out. I presume it's to signify the fact that the kingdom no longer stands. I just wish there was some documentation on the kingdom. Who the last monarchs were. What happened to them. It's so absurd that they would just abandon their kingdom and no one else would do anything about it. Anyway, the kingdom is definitely there and even if the kingdom is in complete ruins, there has to be something to find."

"And you were worried about not having any value to offer," Anna teased, giving Emma a smile. "All right, north is this way."

"Let's get going," Elsa said, taking hold of her sister's hand.

* * *

"Eugene Fitzherbert, I swear to all that is unholy, if you don't shut up _right now_ , I will find a way to catapult you _into the sun_."

Eugene glared at Rapunzel. "We have been walking for hours, Blondie, I'm tired and bored and you lot won't let me break into Valka's snacks. What else am I supposed to do?" 

"Let's play a game," Anna said, nudging Eugene lightly.

"What kind of game?"

"If you keep quiet for at least fifteen minutes, we'll let you eat one of Honeymaren's extra large mint chip cookies." 

Eugene pondered the offer. "What's the catch?"

"If you can't, we all get a cookie and you don't."

"You just want me to shut up, don't you?"

"For the love of God, _yes_ ," Rapunzel groaned. 

"I hate you all. Except Emma. She's fun. The rest of you suck."

"Your time starts now," Anna said. 

Impressively, Eugene kept silent for the next fifteen minutes and was now happily munching on a huge cookie. No one stopped him from sneaking another one. The cookie kept him from making all of his snide remarks and fun facts and sad attempts at flirting with Rapunzel and Anna. 

Truthfully, Anna didn't mind. She didn't even care. Eugene's flirty remarks were met with a simple nod of acknowledgement and if they were funny enough, a small smile. Rapunzel, on the other hand, slowly got more aggravated with each attempt. 

"Wait," Elsa suddenly said, holding her arm out to stop Emma from continuing further. Automatically, the other three stopped too. 

"What is it?" Rapunzel asked. "Do you hear something? Oh! Are there people?"

"No . . . something's different. Something's changed. Are we still heading north?"

Emma pulled out the compass Anna had given her to hold on to. "Yep. Still northbound. Why?"

Elsa frowned. "Something is wrong." 

"Oh God, please don't tell me we have to face your big scary spirit out here in the cold," Eugene grumbled. "I can hear the ice in my joints cracking. How long--"

"Nobody move!" Elsa shouted. 

Elsa rarely raised her voice. Even Eugene knew that. When Elsa wanted to get her point across, she spoke softly and firmly and with an icy glare. When Elsa raised her voice, it meant she was afraid. 

And when Elsa was afraid, so were the rest.

"What is it?" Emma whispered.

"The ice," Elsa said softly, looking down. "It's too thin."

"How can you tell?" Rapunzel asked, glancing down as well. 

"Can't you? I can hear it cracking slowly. Don't make any sudden movements."

"What _do_ we do?" Anna asked.

Elsa looked up, registering the fear on the faces of everyone with her. Though he made an effort to hide it, Elsa could tell she'd made Eugene afraid too. She forced a smile onto her face. "Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to any of you. Just . . . give me a minute."

She looked around, noting that they were stranded in the middle of the frozen unknown. 

"Okay, who's ready for adventure?"

"I don't like this, Elsa," Anna said, her voice trembling. 

"I know, but this is the best I've got. We need to move before we really start cracking the ice and there's a really high chance it's going to give way soon. Trust me. You'll be fine."

"Okay. What do we do?"

Elsa nodded. "Eugene, still have that pickaxe?"

Eugene nodded, pulling it from his belt and showing it to Elsa.

"Good. Princess, lend us some ropes?"

"What's the plan?" Rapunzel asked, carefully undoing her thick braid.

"You're going to use the axe to keep to a block of ice. Eugene is close enough to you, so the two of you will have to pull Anna and Emma over. I can swim."

"Why does anyone need to swim?" Emma asked. "Can't we just turn and sprint back the way we came?"

"The ice is going to give way," Elsa said, "and in this fog, it's going to get even harder to tell which way to go. We need to get out of this before the fog blinds us. If we're safest floating on a block of ice, then that's where we have to be."

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Rapunzel asked, tying the end of a lock of hair around the pickaxe. Eugene, who flung a lock of hair at Anna as one would a rope, shrugged. 

Elsa shrugged too. "It might not, but like I said, it's all I have. The moment you drive that axe into the ice, it's going to shatter and split. We'll need to be careful and watch for--"

"Ship!" Emma cried, pointing to the looming ship the fog had been hiding. In her excitement, she forgot the dire circumstances and bounced. 

"Emma!" Elsa yelled, lurching for the teen. 

Anna yelped as Eugene tugged hard on the lock of hair and pulled her to him and Rapunzel, who quickly drove the axe into the ice. 

Elsa hopped from block to block with Emma, none sturdy enough to hold their weight for long. She slipped on the last one. 

"Grab her!"

Eugene complied instantly and gripped Emma's wrist. Rapunzel grabbed Anna's before she followed Elsa into the water. 

"She'll freeze!" Anna cried, trying to wrench away from Rapunzel. "She'll freeze down there! Let me go!"

"I will not," Rapunzel snapped, "I've already done this Elsa. You're not good to her if _you_ freeze to death."

"But--"

"No. I cannot. I will not let you go in after her."

Anna narrowed her eyes. "How--"

"Eugene."

"Yes, Blondie?"

"Don't let me dive further than seventy feet. And don't let Anna follow me."

It took a moment for the three of them to understand, but by the time they did, Rapunzel had already dropped her bag and jacket, and disappeared into the water. Eugene scrambled to catch hold of her hair before he lost the tether and found himself flat on the ice, forearm plunged into the water. 

"Can she even see down there?" Emma asked, her hand on Eugene's back in case she needed to ground him to the ice. 

"I hope so," he muttered. He felt a tug and started pulling, hoping Rapunzel had the sense to hold on to her own hair instead of letting it pull straight from her head. 

Emma stuck her arms in the water and helped Eugene. Anna quickly followed suit. Rapunzel and Elsa surfaced quickly, the latter supporting the former. 

"Who let her follow me?" Elsa demanded, helping to get Rapunzel onto the ice before lifting herself up.

"Thank you would be nice," Rapunzel muttered.

Elsa scoffed as she dug into the bags. "Look at you! Shivering and shaking! I told you I'd swim. You know I can swim in these waters. You've seen me do it."

She sighed as she wrapped Rapunzel up in a blanket. "Thank you, princess. But please, all of you, I can survive this weather. Don't follow me into the frozen waters."

"Then don't sink in the frozen waters," Anna snapped, a furious glare on her face. 

Elsa was about to respond when the sunlight was suddenly blocked.

"How fast do ships move?" Emma muttered.

"Need a hand?" someone aboard the boat called. 

"Is this is rescue ship or a pirate ship?" Eugene yelled back. 

The woman leaning over the edge laughed. "It can be a rescue ship if that's what you need."

"Then, yes. We need several hands."

* * *

Safely aboard the ship, Elsa shed her soaked jackets and shook out her arms. She declined the extra jacket Eugene offered her. 

"So," the woman asked, arms folded, "what's a dainty little group like you doing out in an oncoming snowstorm?" 

Anna made a funny face at being called dainty, but she didn't say anything.

"We're heading north," Elsa said, twisting her hair to get the water out of it -- Rapunzel wasn't even bothered with trying -- and tying it back with a rubber band. "We're trying to get to an abandoned kingdom north of the Isles."

"I'd find you funny if I hadn't already seen the ruins for myself. There's nothing to see there anyway."

"You've been there?" Emma asked, perking up instantly. "What's it like? Is it still a wintery plague like the stories say? Is there any life left? Plant life? Animal life?"

"Which one of you is leading your little squad?"

Hands pointed to Elsa without hesitation. 

"Great, you can meet our captain and maybe we'll take you across the water. You are running out of ice to walk on." 

"That would be great," Elsa said. 

"Perfect. Let's get Goldilocks here something dry to wear before she loses weight shivering like that. Oh, I'm Astrid."

Elsa smiled and shook her outstretched hand. "Elsa, nice to meet you."


	12. Chapter 12

Elsa glanced at Astrid's attire as they walked. There was something familiar about it. The fur on her shoulders, though much smaller, reminded her of Valka's winter cloak.

"You're Viking, aren't you?"

Astrid nodded. "Yeah. You're not scared of the big bad Viking, are you?"

Elsa smiled and shook her head. "My parents and brother are Viking."

"No offense, but you look more princess than viking."

Elsa glanced down at her own attire. Beneath the extra jacket Valka had demanded she wear, Elsa's clothes were rather dainty. "I suppose so. But I'm adopted. We all were, save my brother. He was their real son."

"Was?"

"He died six years ago. Same day we lost Chief -- his father." 

"I'm sorry," Astrid said softly. "How old was he?"

Elsa frowned. "Seventeen . . . Yes, I was a year older than him."

"Life sucks sometimes."

"Yeah, but it gets better after. We've even found new family. Emma -- the one that got really excited when you said you'd been to the abandoned kingdom -- we took her in just months ago."

"You must miss them a lot," Astrid said. She handed Elsa a tissue that she seemed to have produced from thin air. 

"Hey, I'm not -- oh, I am. Thanks."

"No problem. So, this is Berk, by the way. We're a little family of bandits, so to speak, rounded up by our dear Chief -- also my boyfriend. We've been around for what, four or five years, I think. That's been designated our dining hall. In there is Snotlout and the twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut."

Elsa peeked into the room Astrid gestured to and saw three people thoroughly enjoying their food fight. 

"Fishlegs prefers to _eat_ his food."

Elsa took a second glance in and noticed a fourth person seated a little away from the flying food. He ate calmly, but watched with great amusement. She smiled. "Ryder would be mortified. He's a very big fan of actually eating too." 

Astrid grinned. "Which one is Ryder?" she asked as she continued on.

"Oh, we left him back on the Isle. Honey isn't good with this weather and to bring her out would be far too risky. But they're not alone, they're with--"

"Babe, I've been looking for you _everywhere_. Why are we stopped so close to the storms?" 

Elsa stopped dead in her tracks as she watched Berk's chief and Astrid's boyfriend meet them in the middle of the hall, giving Astrid a confused frown. While Astrid explained herself, Elsa studied him. 

He was tall, she noted at once, and far more muscular than she remembered. She knew who it was as soon as he'd opened his mouth. She could feel it in the cores of her bones, in the deepest pits of her heart. She knew it was him. 

"Hiccup?" she asked, so soft she was sure she hadn't said it aloud.

He glanced away from Astrid. The question of who she was sat on the tip of his tongue. But then he looked at her -- he really looked at her. 

Astrid glanced between them, waiting for the penny to drop. 

" _Elsa_?"

"We thought you died!" Elsa cried, launching herself at Hiccup and near strangling him with her hug. "We had a funeral! We -- we -- we --"

"Hey, it's okay," Hiccup said soothingly, rubbing her back. He was quite overwhelmed himself, but it was clear that Elsa had snapped and needed someone to hold her up -- almost literally. 

"Tissue?" Astrid asked, producing another from thin air. 

Elsa sniffed loudly. "Yes, please." 

She took the tissue from Astrid without letting go of Hiccup, who buried his face in her shoulder. Astrid watched with a soft smile on her face. She always thought Hiccup's story didn't add up, that something was missing. They couldn't have all died and been moved in the time it took Hiccup to break the surface again. Now, as she watched their teary reunion, she knew she had been right.

She almost always was.

* * *

Anna stared at the sketch Rapunzel worked on. 

"And a mountain pass here," Emma said, pointing to the spot on the map they were recreating. 

"How do you even remember all of this stuff?" Eugene asked, wearing the same expression as Anna.

"How do you two remember building layouts and raid plans?"

"Because it's what we're good at -- ohh. I see." Anna nodded, eyes wide. "Is that a fjord?"

"Yeah. The kingdom's situated on the fjord and behind it is the mountains and according to the maps, a giant forest. None of the stories talk about the forest, but I trust the maps more than the stories. Oh, that one's been referred to as the North Mountain."

Rapunzel nodded and hummed to herself as she marked the mountain Emma pointed to.

"Anna."

They all looked up at the sound of Elsa's voice.

"Finally," Anna said, "you're back. Look, we--" 

Rapunzel nearly spilled her inkwell when Anna screamed. 

If Hiccup thought Elsa had nearly killed him, he didn't know what Anna was trying to do. Shorter than Elsa, Anna's feet lifted off the floor as she clung to Hiccup. 

Astrid laughed. "Wow. She's strong for her size."

"Nothing's changed there, then," Hiccup wheezed, trying to maintain his balance.

"How dare you?" Anna yelled when she let go. " _How dare you_?!"

Hiccup narrowly avoided the blows Anna wildly threw. 

"I made them wait half an hour! I made them wait for you and you never showed! We thought you drowned! We -- wait. Is Gobber--"

"He's here, but I'm not letting you meet him until you stop throwing punches." Hiccup grabbed Anna's wrists to stop her from continuing her assault. "I didn't know you were alive then. Gobber and I found a patch of ice that didn't freeze over fully and broke out through that. But by the time we made it back around, you were gone."

Anna glared. "We thought you _died,_ Hiccup. Do you have any idea how much that hurt?"

"I thought you died," Hiccup admitted, glanced at Elsa too. 

Anna scoffed. "Arendelle's name has done everything but get smaller. How on earth could we be dead if Arendelle is still running around and causing havoc?"

Hiccup let go of Anna's wrists and she instantly folded her arms. "With the fame Arendelle was building, I just assumed Pitch finally got what he wanted. There's no way Dad would've let him. . ."

"Hiccup?" Astrid asked, concerned when he fell silent, eyes trained on Elsa. He knew she would tell him the truth. She could lie to everyone except her family. She didn't have it in her to lie to them. "My father died that night, didn't he?"

Elsa hesitated, but she gave in as Hiccup knew she would and nodded. "He was gone before I got there. By the time I touched the ground, Anna was alone. I went into the trees and found Chief, Valka and Pitch."

Hiccup's breath caught in his throat. Elsa saw him look behind Anna. 

"We left Valka on the Isle with Honey and Ryder," Anna said.

"She's alive?"

"Alive and well."

Hiccup's relieve was visibly evident in the way his shoulders relaxed instantly. 

"But Pitch is leading Arendelle," Anna admitted. 

"He won't be for long." 

By now, Rapunzel, Emma and Eugene had joined Astrid in watching the trio with great interest. All four of them recoiled slightly at the murderous look on Elsa's face. 

"I know that look," Hiccup said tiredly. "What are you two up to?"

" _I_ was under the impression we were just on a spirit-hunt to end the winger curse on the Southern Isles," Anna said, side-eyeing Elsa, "I don't know what ulterior motives _she_ has."

"Elsie," Hiccup said in the same warning tone Stoick always used whenever he wanted the whole truth from her. It had worked for Stoick for eleven years. Hiccup figured it wasn't too long a shot to take.

"That's cheating!" Elsa yelled. 

Rapunzel and Emma, who'd only ever seen Elsa in recent years, were thoroughly stunned to see her step back and childishly yell at Hiccup, folding her arms and turning her face away, eyes closed. Eugene nodded to himself. This was the Elsa he had met in Corona. Young and vibrant and playful. Full of life. Child-like. A bit like Rapunzel.

Hiccup waited patiently.

"Okay, fine! But none of you are allowed to laugh."

Elsa's seething glare didn't hold quite the same weight it usually did. It might have had something to do with his childishly she had been behaving a second ago. 

"I was going to enlist the winter spirit if we managed to get it to stop terrorising the Southern Isles."

"Enlist it for what?" Anna asked. "We're not fighting a war."

"I want to get rid of Pitch. The princess needs to get rid of Gothel. You want to keep Westergard away from you. There are people we have problems with and I'd like to make sure we're never bothered by them. Besides, the Isles are so drab, they could use with some fancy ice sculptures."

"You realise that's pretty much murder, right?" Eugene asked. "Not that I don't like this idea," he quickly added.

"I am aware, yes. But I'm being serious. If all of your stories are right, then we could conquer worlds with the winger spirit. What then is a mere mortal to it?"

Hiccup sighed. "Okay, back up. You guys nearly drowned in freezing water to hunt down a Winter Spirit?"

"I know how it sounds," Elsa said, "but you just gotta believe me, Hiccup. The spirit is out there. We just have to find it."

"Fine. Fine, I believe you. We'll take you to the abandoned kingdom and--"

"And then you go back to Isles to see Valka."

"What? No--"

"Yes."

"No!"

"Yes."

"Elsa!" 

"Hiccup."

"Wh-- you've become an even bigger pain in the ass to deal with, you know that?"

Elsa smiled. "Thank you."

"Fine. We'll take you across and head back to the Isles. I hope you know what you're getting into, Elsa."

Elsa chuckled nervously. "Sure."

* * *

The winds whipped Elsa's hair around but she made no effort to tuck the flyaways into her braid. 

"You should be getting some rest." 

Elsa glanced back as Hiccup joined her at the bow spirit. "I can't sleep."

"Anxious?"

"A little." When Hiccup only continued to watch her, she sighed. "And the nightmares."

"What are they about?"

"You," Elsa said, smiling. "Losing you again. It's just so strange to see you alive and well. Oh, and Astrid? She's great. Chief would've loved her. I know Valka certainly will."

Hiccup smiled. "Yeah, well, she saved my ass a couple times. And kicked it."

"Look at you, still getting bossed around by a blonde. You like her a lot, don't you?"

"She's incredible, Elsie. You should see her in action. She's got an axe like dad's, but she's so much more nimble with it. She's brutal and violent and merciless. But she's also really sweet and honest. Sometimes a little too honest, but it's fine."

Elsa smiled at the black waves, twinkling with the moonlight. "I wish Chief could've met her. I wish he could see you now. How bout that, Hicc? Finally had your growth spurt."

"Yeah, finally. I used to be shorter than Astrid too."

"Bet she made fun of you for it."

"Oh, yeah. Anytime she could."

Elsa leaned her head against Hiccup. "I've missed you, little brother."

Astrid froze in her tracks at the trapdoor. She'd been looking for Hiccup and was just about to call his name when she saw Elsa lean towards him. She smiled. She knew how much Hiccup missed his family. She knew better than anyone how much he would've given just for this one moment with Elsa. 

Slowly, Astrid slipped back under and closed the hatch. Hiccup deserved all the time they had to spend with his sister. 

"Someone's smitten." 

Astrid glared at Eugene. "I could kick your ass. Twice."

"I don't doubt that. So, what's a guy gotta do to get some midnight snacks around here?"

"Make 'em yourself. Good night."

Eugene nodded to himself as Astrid pushed past lightly and continued on her way. He made a mental note that he liked Emma and Astrid equally. Of course, none of them held a candle to his Blondie.

"Wait, what?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YAY HICCUP FINALLY ARRIVED GUESS WHO'S NEXT


End file.
